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Agualva
Agualva, the next village on this route, is one of those settlements in the Azores, which suffered most from emigration, as it lost almost half of its population since the 1960’s when it counted more than 2,900 inhabitants. From the 16th up to the 19th century, this area was a prosperous corn milling area, where the flour for the whole island was produced, and Agualva alone had more than 20 mills at the time. Today, its inhabitants make their living mainly with agriculture and cattle raising and the village is now more famous for its nature attractions and a golf course that can be found in its hinterland. The parish church, the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Guadalupe, which has a central bell tower with a pointed roof, dominates the main square in the village’s centre. Originally founded in 1588, the old church was replaced by the present one in 1678, and after having been completely renovated, it was newly consecrated to the village’s patron saint in 1930. Also in the church square stands a small ‘império’ dating from around 1873, and in May 2005, the most recent ‘império’ in the whole archipelago was consecrated in Oiteiros, a locality belonging to this municipality.
Terceira’s only golf course, an 18-hole course, lies a few kilometres south of the village, embedded in stunning landscapes, featuring strikingly green pastures covering low hills as well as forests and small lakes, with beautiful azaleas in spring and colourful hydrangeas in summer to be seen everywhere. Southwest of Agualva provides the 808 m high Pico Alto extensive views across the protected area of Alagoas, rich with endemic vegetation, extending over about 400 hectares south of the peak’s foot. This area comprises one of the island’s four large volcanic massifs, the Serra da Labaçal, and its Lagoa.
On Agualva’s coast towards Quatro Ribeiras, one of the island’s oldest settlements, you will find the nature reserve of Alagoa da Fajãzinha, a beautiful, tiny foreland, perched at the foot of the sloping coast - the only fajã (flat forelands – uninhabited or inhabited - at sea level that originated from cliff collapses) on Terceira. The nearby belvedere da Alagoa provides spectacular views along the coast and towards the interior of the island.
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