The Blue Island of Failal has rolling hillsides dotted by picturesque red windmills and is dominated by the Caldeira Volcano. Horta, its main

town, has a lively marina and several nautical museums. Peaceful Graciosa is an island of farms and vineyards. Here, an exciting excursion allows you to climb down flights of steps into the depths of the Furna do Enxofre Crater at the bottom of which is a large, deep lake. The interior green valleys of Sao Jorge are in marked contrast to the sheer black cliffs which surround the island. In its main town of Velas, lovely manor houses bear witness to a noble past. Terciera, the Lilac Isle, boasts volcanic craters, forested hillsides and bucolic farmland. One of its oldest cities is Praia da Vitoria, where

reminders of the island’s past can be found in its beautiful 15th and 16th century churches and Fort St. Catherine.