Nordeste in the Azores

Largely unspoilt by the effects of modern development, Nordeste is a small outpost situated at the north-eastern tip of São Miguel island in the Azores, a nine-island archipelago located west of mainland Portugal in the North Atlantic.

Its remote location beyond the attractions of the Furnas spa resort means that few visitors ever reach this sleepy little town due to its limited road access.

But the rewards are many, most notably the spectacular Atlantic vistas and the chance to witness traditional Azorean life as it has always been.

Built in the 15th century and later restored in the 18th century, the church of São Jorge features an interesting façade and some statues that once existed in the former Franciscan monastery.

Adjacent to the church is a small ethnographic museum housing a collection of traditional clothes, old ceramics and various other regional artefacts.

Built in 1883, Nordeste’s sturdy seven-arched bridge is one of the most impressive in the Azores.

The nearby village of São Pedro Nordestinho is worth visiting for its little chapel of Nossa Senhora do Pranto (Our Lady of Pranto), which is more than 500 years old. According to local legend, the Virgin Mary appeared there to a young shepherd and announced the plague epidemic that subsequently devastated the island’s principal city, Ponta Delgada.