Corvo Island

Clara Campos
On November 28, 2011

Corvo Island the smallest island of the Azores is one of the most remote European places, a natural paradise and a refuge of peace and quiet

Corvo, the smallest island of the Azores archipelago, is today’s destination. So let me welcome you to one of the most remote places of Europe, a natural paradise and a refuge of peace and quiet.

Resulting from a volcanic eruption, Corvo Island is characterized by a landscape of dark stone walls that earned it the epithet of “Black Island”, along with the typical barns with lava stone walls that everywhere around the island farmers use to store tools and fodder. The green of the pastures stands out from a landscape that it is also marked by the golden shades of the cereal plantations and has the deep blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean as background.

The small conic windmills existing in the Ponta Negra area, near Vila do Corvo, are another characteristic trace of the island, filling the landscape with small white dots when seen at a distance. They are distinguished from other windmills by their mechanism that turns their wood tops, in order to make the sail follow the wind. These well-preserved windmills witness ancient ways of life linked to the production of wheat and corn that are still very important for Corvo’s economy.

Corvo’s northeastern coast offers visitors breathtaking views thanks to its cliffs rising for hundreds of meters above the ocean. Small bays, islets and reefs are the other brand images of the island’s coastline that conquer more and more tourists each year.

However, the ultimate highlight of the Corvo Island is Caldeirão, a crater of the extinguished volcano that originated the island, situated on Monte Gordo with a perimeter of over 3 km. For those with a vivid imagination the irregular shapes of the two magnificent lakes that were formed on the Caldeirão surface represents seven of the nine islands of the Azores archipelago.