Return to the Azores

EAST BAY APRIL 19-21, 2006

Life

About this issue

E

ast Bay Newspapers editor Ted Hayes visited the Azores, a nine-island archipelago 2,400 miles east of Boston, over the last week of March. His stories and photographs make up the bulk of this special issue.

Lying along the great Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a vast underwater mountain chain that stretches from the sub-arctic nearly to the North Pole, the Portuguese islands were first settled in the 1400s. As the centuries have passed, they have continued to evolve, being shaped and shaped again by earthquakes, volcanic activity, politics, conquest and religion. Lush, mountainous and temperate, the islands are ever-changing.

Evolving, too, are their inhabitants. Deeply religious, hard-working and proud, the Azorean people have counted their isolation as both a curse and a blessing. Especially over the past century, lack of economic opportunity forced many to leave their beloved islands for better

Return to the

Azores

Inside lives in Brazil, Bermuda, Canada and the United States, particularly in Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts.

Today, the Azores are changing. With an influx of new money from the European Union and the Portuguese government, the Azores are prospering, and more and more expatriates are returning.

At the same time, the Regional Government of the Azores has started an ambitious tourism campaign, hoping to convince those who have never visited the islands to come. The government earlier this year dedicated $50,000 in grant money to promote the islands; coupled with matching grants from the travel and tourism industry both there and in the states, the islands have entered a new era, where their isolation, lack of large industry and development are seen not as reasons to leave, but as reasons to visit.

Islands’ call

Islands’ lifestyles are leading more natives back home. PAGE 12

Santo Cristo Feast

A 500-year religious tradition is alive and well in the Azores and beyond. PAGE 14

Capelinhos changed everything

Nearly 50 years ago, a volcano shaped Faial — and the East Bay. PAGE 22

Azores tourism

Islands’ government, industries look to new economy. PAGE 26

East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006 Page 11

Return to the

Azores Stories and photos

by Ted Hayes

An Old Connection . . .

This special section of the East Bay Newspapers continues a tradition of reporting on life in the Azores dating back to 1836, soon after this newspaper organizaPHOTO XTRA tion was founded. Our first report was an To view or advisory to whaling ships from southern purchase New England who were planning a stop at more photos the islands. A special section published in visit our Photo Gallery 1970 brought a pictorial image of the islands to our readers (at right). On many eastbayri.com other occasions members of the staff have visited the Azores and brought back their impressions of these beautiful islands, which are located in the middle of the Atlantic.

We know you will enjoy Ted Hayes’ report on his recent visit to the archipelago, and we look forward to your comments.

Ros Bosworth, Jr. Publisher Emeritus

These fishing boats sit quietly at their berths in the Horta, on the island of Faial. In the background, boys fish with line and hooks.

Page 12 East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006

RETURN TO THE AZORES

For many, home’s call too strong to resist Improving economic conditions prompt many to return, others to visit

BY TED HAYES

thayes@eastbaynewspaper.com

It was impossible to miss.

As our small gray Ford turned a corner in the town of Agua de Pau in Sao Miguel, the massive Chevy Suburban idling by the side of the cobblestoned street stuck out like a sore thumb amidst a sea of Peugeots, tiny Volkswagens and other subcompacts. Then we noticed the Rhode Island license plate on the back.

“Pull over,” I said, and we did.

Rolling down the window, we were greeted by a man of about 50, who told us his name was Joao.

What was with the Rhode Island plates, we asked?

“I just had it shipped over from the states.”

“Where did you come from?”

“East Providence. I just moved back.”

“Do you miss it?

A laugh. “No!” He smiled and we drove on, the rich blue of the Atlantic Ocean opening up before us as headed down the narrow lane toward the sea.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise.

For decades, the Azores, a nineisland archipelago 2,400 miles out in the Atlantic, has been bound tightly to Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts. Untold numbers of Azorean natives, who for centuries eked out hard lives in the volcanic, mountainous islands, began moving to the United States during the latter half of the 19th century, leaving their homes in hopes of finding better opportunities in America.

When they settled along our shores — carving out niches in places like Bristol, East Providence, Fall River and New Bedford — they became part of America but never forgot their home. With them, they brought religion, close-knit families and trades, including fishing, boat-building, wine-making and horticulture.

Behind, they left islands of incredible beauty but, at the time, little future. The islands were, said East Providence resident and Sao Miguel native Joe Serodio, “hard places. You had to grow up fast.

“Those were the sad days,” said Mr. Serodio, who now owns a travel agency, America Travel, in East Providence.

Today, things are changing.

More and more Azorean natives are returning to their native land, compelled not only by their love of the islands but also their improved economic conditions.

“The saying is, you leave the Azores to work, you come back to live,” said Manuel Alves, a semiretired fisherman, drinking a glass of local wine in Peter Cafe Sport Bar, a well-known watering hole in the harbor town of Horta on the island of Faial.

“Once you come, you don’t want to leave,” said Mr. Alves, who worked at a supermarket in East Providence and lived briefly in Bristol before moving back to the island of Faial, his boyhood home, in 1997.

“If you live here, you never want to be anywhere else. Why would you?”

Hard times Driving through the Azores today, it is hard to imagine the tough times that drove many

Eduardo Ferreira works in his father’s licquer distillery in Ribeiro Grande on the island of Sao Miguel. His father started the business after living and working in the East Bay.

“The saying is, you leave the Azores to work, you come back to live.”

MANUEL ALVES, WHO MOVED BACK TO THE AZORES AFTER LIVING IN THE EAST BAY

Bristol resident John Costa, who came to the United States in 1959, serves a beer to a patron at the Bristol Sports Club. He plans to return to the island of Terceira in August to watch the bull fights and relax.

natives from the islands from the 1800s through the 1970s and early 1980s.

Formerly under the direct rule of the Portuguese government, the islands became semi-autonomous in 1976 when the Regional Government of the Azores was established. Less than a decade later, the islands’ fortunes increased again, when Portugal entered the European Union (EU).

The Azores, with little big industry and an economy based on farming and fishing, had always

been poor. But with the arrival of the EU came millions in grants which were promptly put into building the islands’ infrastructure. Today, the results are clear: The Azores have a socialized health system that provides care for all. Most of the islands’ roads are paved, and a large highway system covers most of the island of Sao Miguel, the largest in the chain. Schools are modern, and other positive signs abound; there is even a large, modern soccer (football) stadium built for stu-

dents in the former peasant town of Povoção in Sao Miguel.

With all the changes, tourists are coming, money is returning and so are the expatriates.

Hard at work in his liqueur distillery in the Sao Miguel town of Ribeiro Grande, former East Bay resident Eduardo Ferreira leans over a large oak cask and inspects a tap which, when opened, will release hundreds of gallons of passionfruit liqueur that has been aging for months.

Outside the small factory, birds of paradise, large, hearty flowers, bloom in a garden lined with cobbles hewn from the porous black volcanic rock that makes up the island. A church shares the yard next door, and the sky overhead is a deep blue.

Mr. Ferreira has closed shop for the day, but he opens it for his visitors. He’s happy to do it; he is proud of his business and has carved out a happy niche for himself making liqueurs for both

natives and the increasingly busy tourist trade.

It’s a far cry from his time in the states. Like many others, he left in the early 1970s to have a more stable future, and settled in East Providence and, part-time, in Bristol.

“I used to ride my bike into Bristol every day to visit my girlfriend,” said Mr. Ferreira, who worked in a factory while in the states.

But like many others, he has returned and found a life more prosperous than he had in the states.

He says he has no regrets, and his business is thriving. He opens a bottle of pineapple liqueur, pours a few glasses for his guests, and offers a toast.

“To health,” he says.

The islands’ changing economies also prompted the return of Jose de Vasconcelos Franco, who has started a thriving business catering to the tourist trade. He moved to the states as a child, studied at the University of Rhode Island and spent time in Bristol — “I remember the Fourth of July parade,” he says, smiling — and upon returning became a brewmaster. After working for awhile at Especial, an Azorean beer brewery, he struck out on his own, founding Seawatch, a business based in the town of Ribeira Quente that offers whale and dolphin watches, fishing and even safari tours.

Today, he has two large boats and a fleet of tough Land Rover trucks that get him and his visitors away from the towns and into the country. Such a business wouldn’t have been sustainable 30 years ago, but today it is thriving as more tourists come to the islands for their tranquility and peace. Mr. Franco loves being back.

“If I stayed in the states, maybe I’d make more money,” he said, walking past his two boats docked just outside of downtown Sao Miguel. “But I’d never have the quality of life I have here.”

Fond memories Today — in countless groceries, homes, churches and sports clubs — others are planning their return. Even those who don’t go back full time visit as often as possible. One of them is John Costa, who at age 13 left the island of Terceira in 1959 “because my mother thought there would be more opportunity here.”

Though he loves America — “when I got off the plane in Boston for the first time, I kissed the ground” — his heart still lies in Terceira. He goes back at least once a year, staying in the home of his aunt Bernadette Aguiar, who lives in Bristol but spends six months out of the year in Terceira.

For nine years, Mr. Costa has managed the Bristol Sports Club, a members-only club on Wood Street whose membership is comprised mostly of Azorean immigrants. The business keeps him close to home; in the back room, an artist painted giant murals of some of the Azores’ most famous spots, and the club is one of the only places around where you can get Kima Maracuja, a passionfruit soda made in Sao Miguel.

Mr. Costa plans to return in August, stay with his aunt and watch the bullfights, which run almost every night in the summer.

“Every day,” he says, his mind drifting away as his eyes smile at the thought.

“I just love it. It’s God’s country, isn’t it?”

East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006 Page 13

RETURN TO THE AZORES

Azores

Azores facts and figures Here some vital statistics regarding the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal since that was first discovered and settled in the 1400s. The nine islands lie 2,400 miles east of the United States and 972 miles west of Lisbon, Portugal.

■ Land area: 893 square miles

■ Religions: Catholic, others ■ Landforms: The forested islands are volcanic in origin and ringed by rocky coastlines. The highest point is the Pico Volcano, at 1.46 miles, on the island of Pico.

■ Traditional trades: Fishing, farming, whaling (now banned). Tourism is becoming more important to the economy.

■ Population: 242,000 ■ Administrative capital: Ponta Delgada ■ Official language: Portuguese ■ Official currency: The Euro

AZORES

Corvo Graciosa

Flores Sao Jorge Faial

Terceira Pico Sao Miguel Santa Maria

White and black volcanic rock are used everywhere in the Azores ... for streets, sidewalks and this area in downtown Povocão on the island of Sao Miguel.

A quiet overlook looks down on the grandeur of Sao Miguel. Next stop from there? Nordeste.

A fisherman makes his way out around the seawall in the harbor town of Horta on the island of Faial. Behind him, boys fish from the rocks.

Behind them are painted calling cards left by visiting yachts from all over the world. It is tradition — and considered good luck — to leave a painted calling card when you visit by boat.

There are thousands of such paintings, most small, around the harbor area.

Page 14 East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006

RETURN TO THE AZORES

Santo Cristo tradition ties Azores and Bristol Religious tradition dates back nearly 500 years

BY TED HAYES

thayes@eastbaynewspapers.com

It all began nearly 500 years ago with a journey of faith.

Today, what has become the Santo Cristo Feast draws thousands of the faithful every year to a convent in Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, the Azores, and also to Bristol. Here, as there, those with faith will remember their blessings and pray to a sacred image, or statue, keeping in mind a tradition started by two sisters who crossed an ocean to honor their God. The feast, celebrated in May in Ponta Delgada and in June in Bristol, is the largest religious feast in the Azores. It grew out of a journey two sisters in the Order of Clarissa took to Rome in the 1500s seeking permission to open a convent in the small southern Sao Miguel town of Caloura. Journeying alone, they were received by Pope Paulo III, who was so taken with their effort that he blessed and gave them an image, or statue, of Jesus Christ.

The statue — “Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres” — came back with them to Caloura, and the convent was built. It still stands, its small humble walls lined on the outside with brilliant blue tile work.

But times were changing.

Even as the sisters opened the convent with the pope’s blessing, the Azores were becoming susceptible to pirates and other foreign raiders. Though the coastline offered rugged natural defense from invaders, the risk was still there. Having sought financial assistance from a benefactor, the church was able to purchase eight acres of land in Ponta Delgada on which the nuns constructed a new chapel. On April 23, 1541, they brought the statue to its new home in Ponta Delgada.

“There it was put away” for about 150 years, said Monsignor Agostinho Tavares, who now cares for the statue at its shrine within the Convent of Our Lady of Hope, now run by the Daughters of Mary Immaculate.

Decades passed. On July 23, 1683, Mother Teresa da Anunciada took her final vows and entered the order. Her name would forever become linked with the famous statue for, in 1700, she helped arrange the first procession of the image through the streets of Ponta Delgada. Thus was born the Santo Cristo Feast, which now draws thousands of people from around the world to Ponta Delgada every May. Among many things, said Monsignor Tavares, she elevated not

only the image’s prominence but also helped shape how the island’s residents thought about Jesus and the crucifixion.

The results are plain to see today.

Monsignor Tavares talks softly, pointing out the majesty before him as he walks through the small shrine housing the 500-year-old statue. All around him is opulence, from flowers — birds of paradise, orchids and lilies — in front of statue to delicate tilework, gilding and carving on nearly every surface of wall and ceiling.

“She wanted to change the way people thought about the suffering” of Jesus, he said through an interpreter, referring to paintings on the wall of key elements of the crucifixion — dice to signify the soldiers gambling for Jesus’ clothes, a whip, a lance, a set of tongs and hammer to signify the nailing on the cross — and more.

They are ugly images, he said, and show the cruelty of man. But they also show Jesus’s compassion, grace and selflessness.

Walking through a small, low door locked with a skeleton key, he smiled.

“These are the beautiful things.”

Lining the wall before him were capes, each housed in its own protective case. There is one donated by a king 200 years ago, and one given by Pope John Paul II when he visited the chapel in 1991. Every year, one of the capes is put on the statue’s back for its procession through the streets of Ponta Delgada.

On a table before him lay more riches, including the centerpiece, a large gold “resplendor” emblazoned with thousands of natural pearls and hundreds of jewels, including diamonds, emeralds and rubies. The halo, which is placed behind the statue for its yearly procession, weighs more than 12 pounds and is comprised of jewels left by the faithful as offerings over many years. It is hundreds of years old.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

Two years ago, Monsignor Tavares visited Bristol to help parishioners at St. Elizabeth Church celebrate their own version of the feast, which they brought with them from the Azores. There, as in the statue’s home city, the feast — and the tradition of Santo Cristo dos Milagres — stays strong.

“It’s the glory and power of God,” explained Joe Serodio, an East Providence resident who, as a member of the Brotherhood of Santo Cristo, returns to Ponta Delgada every May to help carry the statue through the streets.

The statue of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres in its shrine. TOP: Monsignor Agostinho Tavares holds the resplendor, or gold and jeweled halo, that adorns the statue during the annual feast. For the rest of the year it is kept in a sealed room adjacent to the shrine.

The Convent of Our Lady of Hope houses the statue of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres in downtown Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel.

The original chapel in Caloura, Sao Miguel, built by the Order of Clarissa in the 1500s.

East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006 Page 15

RETURN TO THE AZORES

Horta, Faial, with one of the best-protected harbors in the Azores, is a destination for pleasure boaters.

A crucifix hangs in the College Church, otherwise known as the Church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo (Our Lady of Carmo), in downtown Angro do Heroismo on the island of Terceira. The Jesuit church was built in the mid-17th century. In 1759, the Catholic Church forced the Jesuits out of the Azores, but the majestic church remains. It also contains a solid silver altar made of Spanish silver, as well as Azorean and Flemish tilework dating from the 1600s.

The twin towers of a church dominate the landscape in Furnas on the island of Sao Miguel.

Page 16 East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006

RETURN TO THE AZORES

Unusual rock features are common sights just offshore most Azorean islands. This ancient volcano, off the island of Terceira, lost its center. Neither side is settled.

Beautiful tilework is one of the Azores islands’ claims to fame. This tile, probably from the 18th century, adorns an outdoor park in downtown Angra do Heroismo, on the island of Terceira.

Majestic cliffs, valleys, dormant volcanoes and other stunning geologic features can be found around almost every corner in the Azores.

A statue holding two intertwined snakes, a symbol of wisdom, looks down on an open-air produce market in the harbor town of Horta on the island of Faial.

East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006 Page 17

RETURN TO THE AZORES

The ocean around the Azores islands is often treacherous. The 500-foot container ship CP Valour lies dashed on the rocks on the island of Faial, at the mercy of the enormous surf that often hits the island and the others in the chain. The ship, bound from Canada to mainland Europe, ran aground in December 2005, and all efforts to float it proved futile. There are plans to disassemble the ship, piece by piece, this spring, and scrap it.

PHOTO XTRA To view or purchase more photos visit our Photo Gallery eastbayri.com

These youngsters saw a camera pointed at them, and couldn’t resist hamming it up. They live in Povocão on the island of Sao Miguel.

A small fishing boat, painted in rich blue, green and white, lies at its mooring in the harbor town of Horta, Faial. Unlike starkly painted boats in the United States, boats in the Azores are often painted in bright, vivid hues.

Page 18 East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006

East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006 Page 19

RETURN TO THE AZORES

A freshly paved road leads visitors into the town of Povocao on the island of Sao Miguel. Povoção is one of many small farming villages that has undergone a rebirth since Portugal joined the European Union in the 1980s. Where once there were only small, humble homes, the town now sports new schools and even a modern new football (soccer) stadium.It lies just east of the resort village of Furnas, which is known worldwide for its hot springs and mineral baths.

Page 20 East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006

RETURN TO THE AZORES

A fisherman closes up an access port after tinkering with his engine in Horta, Faial.

Balconies are common in the Azores; these two adorn the front of two buildings in downtown Furnas, Sao Miguel.

A young girl, doll in hand, skips up the street in Angra do Heroismo on the island of Terceira.

Though religion is not as all-consuming as it once was in the Azores, the population is still extremely devout. These men were stopped at a church in Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, during a pilgrimage, made on foot, they and many others took during the start of the Lenten season last month. Moving from town to town, stopping at church after church to pray, the men and others like them are often put up by families as they make their way across the island.

East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006 Page 21

RETURN TO THE AZORES

In Furnas, Sao Miguel, two girls swim in mineral-rich water fed from the mountains into a pool in the Terra Nostra Park, behind the hotel of the same name. The 18th-century park consists of small trails circling groomed lakes and streams, with thousands of flowers. Adjacent to the pool is Casa do Park, the 18th-century manor owned by the park’s founder, Englishman Thomas Hickling.

men pull their lunch from thermal pits on the shore of Lagoa das Furnas in the town of PHOTO XTRA Two Furnas. The pits, heated naturally by subterranean hot spots, serve as a natural kitchen.

To view or purchase more photos visit our Photo Gallery eastbayri.com

A typical village street in the Azores. Many streets, having been laid out long before the automobile, are extremely narrow. For that reason, most of the cars on the island are subcompacts.

Cooking by burying pots of food in the earth is a tradition that dates back hundreds of years. Traditional meals cooked in the pits usually consist of chourico, pork, beef, chicken, potatoes, onions and seafood.

Page 22 East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006

RETURN TO THE AZORES

Capelinhos

The lighthouse tower at the Capelinhos volcano on the island of Faial still stands 49 years after the volcano’s eruption, but its light has long since been extinguished.

The volcano that changed everything Nearly half a century ago, eruption led to exodus from the island of Faial

The Capelinhos volcano erupted over 13 months in 1957-58, burying villages in ash, creating more than two square kilometers of new land and forcing 15,000 Faial residents to leave their homes, in some cases forever.

‘The ash fell over a long period, but it buried everything’

BY TED HAYES

thayes@eastbaynewspapers.com

In just over a year’s time, Azoreans, past and present, will pause to mark one of the major turning points in the islands’ history.

The year 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of the eruption of the Capelinhos Volcano on the western side of the island of Faial. The volcano’s slow, unrelenting eruption over 13 months swallowed villages, created nearly two square kilometers of land and led to one of the largest mass exoduses in the Azores’ history.

Before the volcano, 30,000 people lived on the lush green island.

A year after it ended, 15,000 had left, and many of them wound up in New England. The volcano may have destroyed lives and forever changed the island, but it vaulted the late President John F. Kennedy, who at the time was a Massachusetts Senator, to legendary status there. Realizing the humanitarian crisis the volcano’s eruption caused, he helped ease U.S. immi-

gration from the Azores, allowing many of those displaced to come to southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island permanently.

“Many people still remember him,” said Faial guide Sandra Dart.

It all started out ominously in September 1957 when underwater seismic activity created unusual patterns in the ocean a kilometer off the coast. Soon afterwards, the volcano began to erupt, sending ash miles into the sky that fell, almost unabated, until October 1958. The steady stream of ash was joined by sporadic underwater lava flows; combined, the ash and lava buried nearby villages 10 feet deep, created a new island which later became connected to Faial through subsequent eruptions, and left miles of agricultural land untillable. The exodus was inevitable.

“There was nothing left for them,” said Ms. Dart of those displaced. “Fortunately nobody died.”

The road to Capelinhos is difficult. Going off the main road from Horta, the port town on the east side of the island, the dirt road to the volcano is several kilometers long and unpaved. Thick gray ash kicks up at the slightest wind, and few plants, save for hearty heather and other tough species, find purchase.

“Look over there,” says Ms. Dart, pointing out a barren, gray area pockmarked with bits of red tile, stucco and other debris.

“Rooftops. The ash fell over a long period, but it buried everything.

Those are the tops of the houses.”

Before long, an enormous gray lighthouse appears ahead. Abandoned after the eruption, the reason is plain. All that remains of the building accompanying it is a shell. The tops of the first floor windows, their glass long gone, stand at her feet, buried to the top in ash. Twenty feet away, cliffs plunge several hundred feet down, and the volcano, its south face completely blown away,

All that is visible from the lighthouse’s first floor are the tops of windows. The ash fell 10 feet deep in spots.

greets the ocean.

The volcano’s eruption is not so distant that people don’t remember it and speak of it often. Many businesses in Faial’s biggest town, Horta, hang photographs of the eruption in their windows. One famous scene is of steam rising

from the ocean during the underwater lava flows. Captured by an unknown photographer, the column takes the shape of a proud, chiseled face.

The locals call the photo the “Face of Neptune,” the Greek god of the sea.

East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006 Page 23

RETURN TO THE AZORES

A church dominates the skyline in the harbor town of Horta on the island of Faial. Such scenes are typical; churches are the highest point in most towns on the islands.

Coming in for a landing, the coast of Faial appears out of the haze. At center is another church, with homes and pasture surrounding it.

Page 24 East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006

RETURN TO THE AZORES

The majestic Pico Mountain on the island of Pico, classified in 1972 as a natural reserve, is easy to spot from the harbor in Horta, a few miles’ journey by boat. The mountain rises to about 7,700 feet, the highest point in the nine-island archipelago.

A wooden boat lies beached in the port town of Lagoa, Bristol’s Sister City on the island of Sao Miguel.

An elaborate carving graces a doorway in downtown Angra do Heroismo, the capital city on the island of Terceira. Clubs, discos and upscale boutiques share narrow city streets with churches, homes and government buildings. Angra served as the launching point for many of Portugal’s maritime discoveries in the 15th and 16th centuries, and was also a stopping-off place for fleets returning from Africa and the Indies. As a result, the city is rich in history, and its many churches grace some of the finest architecture and artifacts in the archipelago. For that reason, it was named a World Heritage City by UNESCO in 1983.

Fishermen cast for dinner against a seawall in the port of Caloura on Sao Miguel’s south coast.

East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006 Page 25

RETURN TO THE AZORES

Fishing boats await their owners in the port of Rabo de Peixe on Sao Miguel. Rather than leaving their boats on moorings or in slips, many fisherman haul them out on dollies.

The town of Caloura on Sao Miguel’s south coast, seen from an overlook.

Page 26 East Bay Newspapers April 19-21, 2006

RETURN TO THE AZORES

One of the most popular tourist spots on the island of Sao Miguel, the biggest island in the archipelago, is Cete Cidades. The spot looks down on two ancient crater lakes upon which sits the village that gives the spot its name.

Azores banking on tourism as islands’ future Government, business aim to introduce islands to new visitors

BY TED HAYES

thayes@eastbaynewspapers.com

Jose Pacheco de Almeida can’t understand how people miss it.

He sits at a table in the posh Hotel Talisman, looking out on a bustling courtyard in the heart of Ponta Delgada, the capital city of Sao Miguel. Outside the window, lilies and other flowers of every hue — purple, white, yellow and vibrant red — blossom in the square. To the left, retired men play dominoes at an open air cafe while, to the right, young lovers walk through the park, their clothes brushed by the ocean breeze blowing off the harbor two blocks south.

Mr. Almeida, who knows a bit about the Azores and tourism, shakes his head.

“I do believe the Azores has a lot to offer,” he said. “If people knew, they would come.”

And he is trying.

Mr. Almeida is part of a new effort to promote tourism in the islands that was kicked off this year with a $50,000 grant given by the Regional Government of the Azores. Matched with grants from the tourism and travel industries both in the Azores and America, the effort aims to increase the

islands’ visibility. It’s an issue near and dear to his heart.

Though he is mostly retired now, Mr. Almeida played an important role in bringing the Azores’ blossoming tourism industry to where it is today. He was a member of the first Regional Government of the Azores, and there was in charge of transportation and tourism. He also ran a bank in the Azores and later was president of Sata Airlines, Portugal’s state-owned carrier. Now, he is a part-time consultant and has gotten involved in the tourism push.

The way he sees it, tourism can and should fill a crucial role in bringing the Azores into a new era, which began with the establishment of the regional government in 1976 and Portugal’s acceptance into the European Union in the 1980s.

“Here, you can relax and look at the world,” he said. “It is quite beautiful.”

Historically, the majority of visitors to the Azores have been former residents who moved to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Brazil and Bermuda, to seek careers. But that is changing. The same things that for years kept the islands down — their isolation, rugged mountains and agrarian lifestyle — are now their biggest blessings, he believes.

And with the influx of EU money, the islands’ infrastructure has long since gotten to the point where it can support a large tourism industry.

“It has changed so much,” he said. “And for the better.”

Yet, he is continually reminded that, outside of Portugal and countries to which the Azores’ inhabitants immigrated, little is known of the islands.

He recalls a meeting of airline officials years ago in Austria attended by carriers from across Europe. More than a few people were unaware of the islands, their rich history and their environmental treasures, he recalled.

Hopefully that will change, he said.

“I think that as more people learn about it, they will see. It is a paradise here.”

Note: Among the tourism campaign’s American partners is America Travel, an East Providence agency founded by Joe Serodio, a native of Povocão, Sao Miguel, the Azores. Campaign members will hold an “Azorean Night” there next Tuesday, April 25, at 7 p.m.. Visitors can learn more about the islands and sample native cheese, wine and other products. Call 434-4700 or visit www.discovertheazoresislands.co m.

A golfer prepares to tee off at the Batalha Golf Club on the island of Sao Miguel. There are a host of golf courses on the islands, and several more are under construction or will be built soon.