Sete Cidades

Sete Cidades is a civil parish and a village, that is located in the center of a massive volcanic crater five kilometres across. The population in 2011 was 793 in an area of 19,19 km2. It is one of the smallest parishes of Ponta Delgada by population, although the largest in area. It contains the localities Cerrado da Ladeira, Cerrado das Freiras and Sete Cidades.

At this time of the year it is not so easy to find the villages or the craters in the sunshine, because at Ginetes the warm air is forced to go up on the mountainside and the humidity condenses. Thus the crater rims are often in the clouds.

From my location I can simply drive to the north slope, the south slope and between the crater lakes over the bridge, which I often do on the way to Ponta Delgada.

The village of Sete Cidades, is located in the southwest portion of the crater and extends from the Blue Lake north to south. Farmland, mostly pastures, are located around the village, and confined to the portions south of the Blue Lake. The remainder of the crater is forested, although the southeastern portion also has some grasslands. A bridge at the junction of the two lakes provides the most direct road connection to Ponta Delgada. The tunnel to Mosteiros is located in the western end of the crater, in an area of open parklands,

The region received its geographic nomenclature from the Latin Insula Septem Civitatum, which means "Island of the Seven Tribes" or "Island of the Seven Peoples" (Portuguese: Ilha das Sete Tribos or Ilha dos Sete Povos), but became a historical reference as the "Island of the Seven Cities". In Latin, civitas does not signify city, but rather a collectivity of citizens of a determined community.

The first Iberian document to refer to Sete Cidades was a Latin chronicle from the city of Porto-Cale (the modern city of Porto), written in 750 A.D. by a Christian cleric.

I like the drive over the bridge between the lakes and up and down the serpentines of the crater slopes, it's a nice contrast to the coast. So when I go to Ponta Delgada I often drive through the montains there and back again by the sea.Read more