Blissfully undeveloped and seemingly isolated from the rest of Europe, the charming seaside town of Vila do Corvo in the Azores is a place of immense scenic beauty right in the middle of the deep blue sea.
By its very nature, Corvo Island is a place of outstanding beauty and its tiny capital epitomises everything that is serene and seductive about this truly unique ocean destination.
Comprising the smallest parish in Portugal, the town’s current total of four hundred sturdy souls are blessed with a relaxed, semi-communal lifestyle with little stress except for what Mother Nature unleashes upon them from time to time.
Packed closely together in order to make the best use of the land available, their enchanting whitewashed houses are set tightly amidst the labyrinth of lovely narrow streets (known as canadas) in the heart of the island’s only residential area.
Far removed from the rigours of the 21st century, life in this delightfully-unspoilt mid-Atlantic outpost is so traditional and tranquil that it’s difficult to imagine how pleasant things are without actually being there.
But despite the remoteness of its location, Vila do Corvo is in fact part of the New World, because geographically it is situated on the North American Plate just beyond the western boundaries of Europe, some 1,900 kilometres (1,180 miles) due west of the capital, Lisbon.
As the smallest and most distant of the nine islands in the Azores, Corvo is often overlooked due to its relative inaccessibility, but for many travellers that is a major part of its appeal, especially for hikers and birdwatchers.
Corvo lies 21 kilometres (13 miles) north-east of its sister island, Flores (which means ‘flowers’), with both being (re)discovered in 1452 by the Portuguese navigator Diogo de Teive on his return from the coast of Newfoundland.
Vila do Corvo was settled almost a hundred years later with the southern part of the island becoming a fertile area of cultivated fields and lush pastures for agricultural sustenance.
Where to go in the Azores
Today, the two islands of Corvo and Flores are paired as UNESCO Biosphere Reserves on account of the diversity and uniqueness of their natural characteristics.
From Vila do Corvo, the whole of Corvo Island is your oyster with several unique attractions easily reachable on foot, beginning with the delightful 16th-century parochial church of Nossa Senhora dos Milagres (Our Lady of Miracles).
Accessible from the town by foot, the extinct volcano known as Caldeirão is very much the island’s centrepiece and a picture-perfect natural attraction carpeted wall-to-wall in emerald green with two sparkling blue lakes enhancing the stunning scene. 300 kilometres deep and 2 kilometres across, it ranks amongst the largest craters in the Azores and is a truly spectacular sight, especially in fine weather.
When planning a trip to Vila do Corvo, try coinciding your visit with the annual Festa da Senhora do Bom Caminho which takes place over a weekend in early September and features a lively programme of festivities to mark the beginning of autumn, including a traditional street procession, outdoor mass, folk-dancing, feasting and lots of Azorean-style merry-making.
Autumn is also a time to witness the annual migration of a great number of rare species of North American birds, including the white-rumped sandpiper, rose-breasted grosbeak and laughing gull, amongst many others.
Bird-watchers and nature lovers in general are urged to visit the excellent Corvo Wild Birds Interpretation Centre (located on Canada do Graciosa in the centre of Vila do Corvo) where visitors can see a sightings’ register, innovative bird holograms and a book with illustrations of the various wintering, migratory, nesting and accidental birds that frequent the island.
Divers travelling to Vila do Corvo are equally privileged to have the chance to visit Caneiro dos Meros, which is the only voluntary marine reserve in the Azores and unique for its abundance of the large, and very friendly, dusky grouper species.
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