Vila do Porto
Held to be the oldest town in the Azores, it offers the São Brás Fort, the Columbus memory at Anjos and the rare pale sand of Praia Formosa, on Santa Maria.
About Vila do Porto
Vila do Porto is best approached on foot, starting in the old core that drops towards the harbour. Around the mother church, medieval street lines and whitewashed houses lead down to the sea, while the Fort of São Brás marks the cliff edge. Built to watch over the anchorage in an era of privateer attacks, the fort still keeps old artillery pieces and now works as one of the most rewarding viewpoints over the bay and marina.
On the north coast, Anjos adds the island’s Atlantic memory. The Chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Anjos is linked to the earliest settlement and to Christopher Columbus’s crew, who are said to have attended Mass there on the return from America in 1493. Stay for more than the photo: the small bay, the Columbus statue and the natural pools make this a compact but meaningful stop.
Beach days divide naturally between two very different settings. Praia Formosa has pale sand, unusual in the Azores, a broad open bay and a summer rhythm tied to the Maré de Agosto festival. São Lourenço feels more intimate: vineyards climb the slopes in stone terraces, white houses sit close to the water, and the beach and pools turn the bay into one of Santa Maria’s calmest coastal scenes.
The municipality is also a strong walking and geology destination. Barreiro da Faneca, often called the Red Desert of the Azores, shows red clay terrain shaped by ancient volcanic materials and erosion, protected within Santa Maria Nature Park and linked to Azores UNESCO Global Geopark geosites. For marked trails, consider Costa Sul from São Brás towards Praia Formosa, Areia Branca between Praia Formosa and São Lourenço, or selected stages of the island’s Grand Route.
End the circuit in Maia, where natural pools sit below the Gonçalo Velho Lighthouse, operating since 1927 and looking over the bay and the old whaling factory ruins. Food should stay local: look for Santa Maria PGI melon in season, biscoitos de orelha, cavacas, júlias and encanelados, and remember that Maia and São Lourenço are also tied to traditional vinho de cheiro.