Whale watching, wine tasting, and climbing the mountain (or at least going as far as you can) tops the list of things to do in Pico for most visitors.
And you should do all that, so please take at least one week off to properly explore the island.
I wasn’t here for the islands’ obvious natural beauty and, yet, it found me in the middle of the first and only open-air art gallery. Galeria Costa finally made it to the official tourist office map as a point of interest, and there’s a good reason for that.
We had the privilege to be guided by Terry Costa himself, the man/artist/mentor/crazy-enough-for-the-arts-to-do-this behind MiratecArts and this project.
The boldness of considering art as something organic that perishes in the same way a living organism does probably isn’t new, but I can say not a lot of people are ready for that.
We were taught to see art pieces as something to treasure that you put on display at a museum, or you label it as heritage, and then it becomes an asset. And, here, the pieces are merely the work of their creators, for you to see, touch, think about, and snap a picture because next year they will probably be gone, taken over by rust and plants.
In Pico, the only place where you can have this organic relationship with art (or it with you) is at Galeria Costa. Spotting the pieces in the middle of basalt rocks and vineyards is also part of the challenge, which means all your senses have to be on. It’s intense!
When you visit, wear comfortable shoes.
Also, let me know how it looks like when you’re there because some artists were working on their ongoing projects, some were about to begin, and some had just finished one, which will grow into a (hopefully) passion fruit plant that will be part of… whatever future project comes to Terry’s mind!
Address: between the towns of Candelária and Mirateca
Opening hours: 24/7
Travel for me is connecting with a new place and the people who live there. You really can’t do this unless you stay with them. Then again when you’ve been traveling for long you begin to crave for some luxury. It took us a while before we found the right balance between luxury hotels and the local home stays. We couldn’t have been happier when we did.
I agree, Penny. Traveling is all about the positive impact you can have in one destination and it in you.