Hi there my Hivean friends and followers!
Welcome to my special weekly series called Beauties of Azores that was created by me to raise awareness of the extraordinary charm of a captivating Portuguese archipelago known as the Azores.
I hoped I would be able to come up with some fresh material for this travel series but unfortunately, the safety restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic have still been keeping us at home here on the Azores Islands (it actually starts to feel like we will be the last place in the world to lift the restrictions, even though there have only been dozens of confirmed cases of the infection on the entire island) so I will dedicate this post to a place that we visited a couple of months ago, before the craziness started.
The place that this post will be about is called Furnas and it certainly is one of the most picturesque little towns I have ever been to.
Located in the eastern part of the Sao Miguel Island, Furnas is also a civil parish that is only home to some 1,400 people so the town itself must have a population of literally just a few hundreds.
However, what this miniature town lacks in size, it greatly makes up for in charm and very cozy and relaxed atmosphere. Situated in the beautiful Furnas Valley, the town is surrounded by some breathtaking landscapes that are mostly made up by majestic green hills covered with lush subtropical vegetation.
The center of Furnas is dominated by Igreja De Nossa Senhora da Alegria, a beautiful white church that actually differs in appearance significantly from most other churches on the island.
There is a little river running through the town and you can find several vintage water mills built on it, which only enhances the unusual and even somewhat historic vibe of this place.
Agriculture is an important industry in Furnas and just like on the whole Azorean archipelago, cattle farming plays a key role here so be ready to witness scenes like this one :)
Apart from the church, there is another architectural landmark in Furnas that visitors love to take photos of - a bizarre structure known as The Upside Down House (or Casa Invertida in the local language) that can be found right next to the church.
I hope you enjoyed this episode of my Beauties of Azores series that was dedicated to Furnas, an adorable little town surrounded by stunning nature on the Sao Miguel Island. All of the photos featured in this post were taken by me.
Let me just remind you that the most famous attractions of Furnas (and the true highlights of our trip to this part of the island) are the Furnas Lake that I wrote about in this post and the Terra Nostra Park that I dedicated this episode of the series to. Fans of architecture might also like the mysterious Chapel of Nostra Senhora das Vitorias.
If you want to learn more about this exquisite Portuguese archipelago and its charms, stay tuned for the next episodes of my Beauties of Azores series ;)
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