Travel Guide Sete Cidades

A must-see in São Miguel, the cliché that appears in every magazine when you mention the Azores. Around the village of Sete Cidades, the scenery is unforgettable: in a vast crater 5 km in circumference, two lakes, Lagoa Verde and Lagoa Azul, compete for the prize of natural beauty, with steep slopes covered in trees and flowers. This is one of the most famous sites in the Azores, and undeniably one of the most beautiful. Formed some 22,000 years ago, the site has since seen 22 eruptions. Its name, which literally means "Seven Cities", comes from a legend according to which the caldera was once home to seven cities, all destroyed in a volcanic eruption.The small, charming hamlet of Sete Cidades is home to fewer than 1,000 inhabitants. The church dedicated to São Nicolau stands at the end of an alley lined with cryptomerias. Azaleas and hydrangeas cover the surrounding area in season.