São Miguel, The Azores (Açores), Portugal (March 2001)
Vila Franca do Campo sits about midway along São Miguel’s southern coast (map). It served as the first capital city of São Miguel until it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1552. Now the capital is located in Ponta Delgada.
Vila Franca do Campo has a wonderfully landscaped central plaza lined by impressive architectural details. This view is to the west, and I believe this is the mother church, the Church of São Miguel. It dates back to the 15th Century, to the early days of settlement in the Azores.
Just off the coast of Vila Franco do Campo is the renowned Ilhéu de Vila Franca, a small island with a natural lagoon that forms a perfect swimming hole.
Central Plaza
This is another view from the central plaza, here looking north. You’ll notice the same pool of water further in the distance in the previous photograph. It appears to be a fountain although it was not spraying water during our visit. The fountain, walkway, gazebo and bell tower line up in perfect symmetry. If you look very closely towards the left of the tower you will see a mountain ridge that forms the backbone of the island.
Village Streets
Well-maintained homes defined a level of prosperity in Vila Franca do Campo. Starkly white buildings accented with local stone contrasted with uncluttered asphalt roads. This was one of several streets that led up from the waterfront towards the central plaza that made for a pleasant stroll throughout the lower portion of town. It was a quiet destination and a relaxing place to wander and explore.
Architectural Details
There’s nothing particularly noteworthy about these steps other than I liked the curvature of the design. They gently hugged a corner so that visitors could climb up towards the entrance from multiple directions.
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