Água de Pau is a parish in Azores that has some beautiful tourist attractions. It belongs to the municipality of Lagoa which is located on the south coast of the island of São Miguel. It’s probably not on the list of most people who visit Azores, but I can assure you that this parish deserves a quick visit. It’s situated near Ponta Delgada, just 17 kilometers away. A funny curiosity is that nowadays, most of the population, about 4 thousand inhabitants, is dedicated exclusively to agriculture 
and livestock 
.
As I told you here, Água de Pau was my first stop as soon as I arrived in Azores. When I started planning the trip I discovered that there was a very beautiful chapel on top of a hill with incredible views. As soon as I saw it I immediately wanted to add it to my travel script and that was I did!
Where to park
Before the trip I had already seen on Google Maps street view and found Rua Manuel Egidio de Medeiros. It was there that we chose to leave the car since it was close to the attractions we intended to visit.
What to visit
This parish is very small and doesn’t have many attractions to visit but there are at least three that you should include in your travel script: the Igreja Matriz de Água de Pau, the Ermida de Nossa Senhora de Monte Santo and the Miradouro do Monte Santo.
❃ Igreja Matriz de Água de Pau
Also known as the Church of Nossa Senhora dos Anjos, the Igreja Matriz de Água de Pau was built in the 16th century and restored in the second half of the 18th century. The exterior is all made of basalt stonework and has white painted masonry finishes. Next to the doors, windows and the bell tower, there are stone works that give it a special charm.
When I passed the church, it was closed, so I was only able to see its exterior. In front of the main door of the church is a large staircase. At the rear of the nave, we can contemplate a garden with some trees and benches.
❃ Ermida de Nossa Senhora de Monte Santo
The main reason for my stop at Água de Pau. Tell me, isn’t it amazing? This chapel is located at the top of Pico da Figueira and tells the story that it was built to mark the place where the apparitions of Our Lady occurred to the girl Maria Joana Tavares do Canto, a resident of Água de Pau. In order to remember this event, the parents of this girl decided to build a chapel at the place of the apparitions, which was completed in September 1931.
I think I was unlucky and just as the Mother Church was also closed and I only had the opportunity to see it from the outside but it was worth it! It is very cute and I loved the contrast of white with turquoise blue. Oh and before I forget to tell you, prepare your legs to go up a lot! The path to this chapel is very hard, with a considerable inclination.
❃ Monte Santo viewpoint
This viewpoint with only pedestrian access has a 360 degree view and is located near the Ermida da Nossa Senhora de Monte Santo and allows you to admire all the beauty of the parish of Água de Pau: the sea on one side 🌊 and the green of the land on the other.
To reach this viewpoint, just continue walking on a dirt walkway that passes right in front of the chapel. Be very careful with all the piles of poops 💩 on the floor!
After visiting these three tourist spots in Água de Pau, hunger got worse but it was too early to have lunch. We opted to buy some plums from a street vendor and they were super sweet!
Now I want to know about you… Have you ever visited Água de Pau or at least had that desire after reading this post? I want to know everything! Comment at the bottom of this post and follow me on instagram to keep up with all the news.
All posts about the Azores here.
