Santa Maria is the southernmost and easternmost island of the Azores, south of São Miguel. Geologically it is the oldest in the archipelago and the only one with sedimentary rocks rich in marine fossils; it has the driest, sunniest climate of the islands and pale sandy beaches. It is called the "yellow island" for the broom and wheat fields that once covered it in summer. Its only municipality is Vila do Porto.
History
It was the first island of the Azores to be discovered and settled, around 1430, and Vila do Porto is considered the oldest town in the archipelago. In February 1493, returning from his first voyage to America, Christopher Columbus stopped here: part of his crew went to pray at the chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Anjos and were arrested by the Portuguese authorities. During the Second World War the United States built a large airport on the island, which for decades was an important stop for transatlantic flights.
Beaches and bays
Praia Formosa, on the south coast, is one of the few white sand beaches in the Azores; in August it hosts the Maré de Agosto music festival, one of the oldest in Portugal. On the east coast, the bay of São Lourenço is an amphitheatre of terraced vineyards divided by stone walls running down to the sea, one of the archipelago's loveliest landscapes. Further south, the bay of Maia has natural pools and a waterfall about 110 metres high, the Aveiro waterfall.
Landscapes
One of the most surprising places is Barreiro da Faneca, known as the "red desert" of the Azores: an expanse of bare red clay, unique in the islands. Pico Alto is the highest point, with a viewpoint over the whole island. The white churches with coloured trim, the windmills and the cylindrical house chimneys recall the architecture of the Algarve and Alentejo, where many settlers came from.
Getting there
Santa Maria has flights from Ponta Delgada (about 30 minutes) and, in summer, ferries from São Miguel. The island is small and easy to tour by car in a day, but it deserves a few unhurried days.