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Places to visit in Santa Maria

Santa Maria, with its slopes carpeted in vineyards at São Lourenço Bay.
Its slim white chimneys hark back to the first settlers who came here from the southern parts of mainland Portugal. The pages of history written by Vila do Porto and Anjos, where Columbus prayed in the chapel on his return from discovering America. Charms of the pleasant island of Santa Maria, warmed by the sunlight.

Punctuated by deep bays, Santa Maria has the most beautiful beaches in the Azores … and the most hours of sunshine. Its waves challenge surfers. And the sports fishing, the sailing, the windsurfing, the diving, the paragliding all attract those visitors who like a bit of adrenaline in their holidays. Those who favour calmer holidays to recharge their batteries will delight in the bucolic countryside, the contrast between the green mountains and the tablelands stripped of vegetation, the steady rhythm of country life, the pleasant walks spent identifying the evergreen beeches that are part of the indigenous vegetation and admiring the great stepped shell of São Lourenço Bay.

Vila do Porto, Santo Espírito, Anjos and São Pedro are all stopping off points on a tour of churches, convents and fortresses that all have their story to tell. During your stay on Santa Maria, there will be time to savour the fresh fish and relish the dishes and sweets of our traditional cooking. On leaving, you will take with you not only a piece of local craftwork but also plenty of material for reminiscences.