Graciosa is the northernmost island of the central group of the Azores and the second smallest in the archipelago. It is called the "white island", perhaps for the pale rocks in some areas or its whitewashed houses. Unlike its neighbours, it is almost flat, with gentle hills planted with vines and cereals, stone walls and windmills. It has a single municipality, Santa Cruz da Graciosa, and since 2007 has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
Furna do Enxofre
The main attraction is Furna do Enxofre, inside the caldera in the south-east of the island: a huge domed volcanic cave, one of the largest of its kind in the world, with an underground lake and a sulphur fumarole at the bottom. You go down a spiral staircase of about 180 steps inside a stone tower built in 1939. Sunlight entering through the opening creates striking effects, especially around midday. A visitor centre explains the geology. You can also walk around the rim of the caldera.
Windmills and villages
Graciosa is famous for its Flemish-style windmills, with stone bodies and a distinctive red onion-shaped dome, dotted across the landscape; some have been restored as holiday lets. Santa Cruz da Graciosa is a small village of white houses around two large pools (pauis) once used to water livestock, with azulejo-decorated churches and the island museum. On Monte da Ajuda, above the village, three chapels offer a fine view.
Spa and food
At Carapacho, on the south coast, a spa offers baths in warm water, and there are natural rock pools nearby. Local sweets are queijadas da Graciosa, star-shaped tarts made with milk and eggs, and the island produces white wines and brandy. It is said that the French writer Chateaubriand stopped at Graciosa in 1791 on his way to America.
Getting there
Graciosa has a small airport with flights from Terceira and Ponta Delgada; in summer ferries link it to the other islands of the central group.