Terceira Highlights
■ Algar do Carvao - Formed by several caves, and about 100m depth, this underground lava tube has plenty of stalactites and stalagmites.
A visit is included when booking an island tour.
■ Verdelho wine - Taste the locally made Verdelho – a sweet aperitif wine. You can also visit the wine museum at Biscoitos where the production of Verdelho is housed.
Festivals on Terceira
■ Espírito Santo (7 weeks after Easter)
■ Tourada a Corda* (May-Oct)
■ Sao Joaninas (24th June is the high point of this 10 day festival)
■ Santo Cristo (early August) – boat races, bullfights & cultural events
■ Praia da Vitoria (2nd week of August) – Gastronomic fair
■ Angrajazz (1st weekend of October)
■ Ramo Grande Festival (end Oct / early Nov) – World music
Terceira
Angra do Heroismo is a picture book town of imposing townhouses and cobbled streets seemingly untouched by time. The best views of this once prosperous trading centre are from the 1,205m high Monte Brasil across the harbour. The west coast harbours a host of villages and the wilder, centre of the island is ideal for walks.
Praia da Vitoria, to the east, with its sandy beach is a charming small town and, inland, the views from the 500m high point of the Serra do Cume, over the gigantic quilt made up of green pastures separated by black volcanic stone walls, quite breathtaking.
Terceira caters for all interests from golf, to exploring volcanoes, to walking, to swimming in natural rock pools and to visiting the sixty eight 19th century ‘Imperias’, (small chapels to the Holy Spirit), which are scattered throughout the island. Then there are the colourful festivals and street bullfights (they pad the bulls’ horns and bulls are never killed) where the only casualty is young men’s wounded pride.
