Ponta Delgada is a Portuguese city, located on the south coast of the island of Sao Miguel, in the Azores archipelago.
Ponta Delgada was founded in the middle of the 15th century shortly after the discovery of the Azores , First a fishing village, the locality experienced rapid development, especially after the earthquake of 1522, which destroyed the old capital Vila Franca do Campo. It was then that a city was erected, which, under the reign of John III of Portugal, obtained by royal charter of April 2, 1546 the title of city, the second (after that of Angra, seat of the bishopric) to be instituted in the archipelago.
Until the 19th century, the Azores and Ponta Delgada, as their largest port, were the standard stopover for ships on the way from Portugal to Brazil and back. In the 19th century, the Portuguese economy began to grow, and Ponta Delgada gradually became a developed industrial city.
The capital of the Azores archipelago, San Miguel, is the amazing resort town of Ponta Delgada.the city has preserved many beautiful temples and luxurious villas. Having come to rest in Ponta Delgado, tourists love to visit the volcanic lakes, which are located directly in the crater, as well as bask in the thermal springs.
Access : Coordinates: 37.741111, -25.680556 / Ponta Delgada has an international airport, from where you can get to the city center by taxi or bus. If you wish, you can rent a car. Panoramic buses and horse-drawn carriages run around the area especially for tourists, and tourist trains run around the area.
Highlights :
- The “Portas do Mar” (Doors to the Sea) is an infrastructure with various commercial spaces, restaurants and plazas; they have a large underground car park, a cruise port, a ferry terminal, a multi-purpose pavilion, a marina, an open-air amphitheater, several natural swimming pools and a vast promenade along the sea.
- The local volcano Caldeiro, which has been extinct for many centuries, attracts special attention. On the shores of local lakes, in one of which the water is emerald green, in the other – blue, many tourists gather.
- Four kilometers from Ponta Delgada is the popular beach of San Roque.San Roque is a picturesque beach covered with black volcanic sand. Due to the fact that it is surrounded by rocks on all sides, the sea is always calm here, there are no big waves, so it is very convenient to relax here with small children
- the local caves of Gruta do Carvao. : There is no longer natural volcanic tunnel on the entire island. Its length is about one thousand nine hundred and twelve meters. Groot do Carvao is conventionally divided into three parts, one of which is north, its length is eight hundred meters, the other is the south side with a length of three hundred meters. Between them is an intermediate section with a length of seven hundred meters.
- You should also visit the large gardens and palaces from the 19th and 20th centuries, such as the Palacio de Sant’Ana and the Palacio do Canto.
- Avenue Infante Dom Henrique, with its SolMarAvenidaCenter shopping center including various shops and hotels, invites you to stroll or stop at cafes and restaurants with a direct view of the sea.
- The Parque Atlantico shopping center, with more than 100 shops and various restaurants and cinemas, is also a pleasant leisure area.
- The historic neighborhood of Ponta Delgada is located behind Avenida do Infante dom Enrique, a large promenade with black and white paved sidewalks that surrounds the port. Its tangled streets are dotted with beautiful houses from the 17th to 19th centuries.
- One can visit in Ponta Delgada among others the Military Museum of the Azores, housed in the Sao Bras fort, and the Carlos Machado Museum, which has a Sacred Art Center as well as collections relating to regional ethnography, to the natural history, toys, African art, etc. There are also various art galleries, such as the Cultural Center of Ponta Delgada and the Galeria Fonseca Macedo, and also the theaters Teatro Micaelense, and Coliseu Micaelense, the former Jesuit College now housing the public library and the Archives. regional offices of Ponta Delgada, as well as the municipal library.
- religious architecture, the Convent of Nossa Senhora da Esperanca houses the image of Christ of Miracles, the starting point of the biggest religious festivals in the Azores archipelago, which are held on the fifth Sunday after Easter. We should also mention the Church of Saint Joseph (Sao Jose), the Matrix Church or Saint Sebastian (Sao Sebastiao), with its elegant Manueline portal, the Church of Saint Peter (Sao Pedro), where we can admire, to the right of the choir , the statue of Nossa Senhora das Dores (Our Lady of Sighs), the Convento da Graca (convent which houses the current Academy of Fine Arts and the Regional Conservatory of Ponta Delgada), and finally, the synagogue.
- Fort of St. Blasius (Forte de Sao Bras) : The fort at Ponta Delgada is a prime example of 16th century Portuguese fortification. The fact that a fort was needed here, first of all for protection from pirates, became clear pretty quickly. The design began in 1552, but the project was changed several times
- Palacio da Conceicao : The palace in the city center, unlike other iconic buildings in Ponta Delgada, is painted blue and is not covered with volcanic stone / Synagoga Sahar Hassamain : The synagogue was founded in 1836 and is the oldest of the Portuguese modern synagogues / Town Hall (Camara Municipal) : A late 17th century Baroque building narrowly escaped demolition in the first half of the 20th century. It effectively closes the square where the city gates and the church of St. Sebastian are located.
- City gate (Portas da Cidade). : The gate was built in 1783 on the embankment, and they never had anything to do with defensive structures. During the reconstruction of the embankment in 1952, they were moved to their present place /
Activities : sightseeing / photo opportunities / For fans of surfing and diving, the most suitable place is Milisias, located five kilometers from the central part of Ponta Delgala./ Shopping : Parque Atlantico (15 minutes walk north of the center). Huge shopping center, open every day (including Sunday) until 23:00.
Go next : the Sete Cidades Massif / Terceira : in the Azores archipelago, an autonomous region of Portugal, in the Atlantic Ocean.
/ the former capital of the island, Vila Franca do Campo / Attractions in the mountains. The most popular of them are Lake Lagoa do Fogo, the Pico da Vara and Furnas mountain range, an area with thermal springs.
