Ok, I had to start with this picture above because this place was one of the most amazing places I've been to. Now, I know that Pico volcano is NOT a part of the UNESCO site, nonetheless, I believe that a hike up Pico volcano will give the visitor a much deeper appreciation for the site.
The island of Pico is part of the Azorean Archipelago, Portugal. The island of Pico is prominent because it contains the wine culture and also Pico mountain, the tallest mountain in all of Portugal. The hike is relatively easy--I completed it in 1 hour and 20 minutes. The views from the top are breathtaking. You can see the island of Pico in its entirety, the nearby islands os Sao Jorge and Faial, and then just an infinite ocean that seems to be continuous with the sky. If you go here, you HAVE to hike the volcano. It is just amazing!
At the base of the volcano, we can find the UNESCO site. It encompasses a series of vines throughout the island.
What makes these vines special is their location. Because they are in an island, the vines are susceptible to strong winds that are also high in their slat content. These circumstances are anything but helpful to the vines. The Portuguese, masters of wine production, designed a way of raising these vines and producing high quality wines, even in this environment. What they did is that they piled up volcanic rocks to build walls and create small compartments for the vines. The walls are EVERYWHERE. They look like they took forever to build.
The rock has also been used to build. There are several examples of churches, breweries, and other structures that are black because of the rock. They provide a special feeling of peace and balance with the environment.
The tour guide said that if we were to line the walls up, they would go around the world twice. I don't know how true that is, but I believed it because of how many walls I saw.
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