Azores | Lands of Priolo | 2nd edition

in the Furnas Valley, known as boilers or fumaroles and hot springs.

However, some say that the greatest wealth of the Furnas Valley is the diversity of its waters and springs and is considered by experts as the biggest hydropolis of the World.

In this idyllic paradise, one can see the Furnas lake with its green banks and where one can find in one side of its margins the church of “Nossa Senhora das Vitórias” (Our Holly Mother of Victories) and on the other, the area where the famous ”Cozido das Furnas” (Furnas stew) is cooked - the natural boiling waters of Furnas.

Povoação is also known for its magnificent parks and gardens.

Here, we can find a vast and diverse number of parks, of which we highlight the José do Canto, the Dona Beatriz, the Fonte Bela (owned by the family M. Perrina), the António Borges (owned by the family Gomes da Câmara) and the one of the Forestry Services. However, without taking away the beauty and importance of all these, we must give special attention to the Terra Nostra Park, where one can find a wide variety of shrubs and trees, some over 200 years old, as well as a pool/lake of natural ferruginous hot water, dominated by the grand main house of the Park, which was the former summer residence of its founder Thomas Hickling, an Englishman.

Microbial Observatory of Azores The fumaroles have a microbial life of great scientific interest, since its bacterial community is resistant to high temperatures. The Microbial Observatory of Furnas (OMIC) displays an exhibition on the numerous microscopic beings that inhabit the hot springs and organizes activities to discover these organisms. This Centre is open all year long; for further information please see page 132.

Monitoring and Research Centre of Furnas The Monitoring and Research Centre of Furnas (CMIF), located in the southern margin of the Furnas Lake, was created in 2011 to promote the recovery actions developed to restore de water quality and the ecosystem of this lake.

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