This morning we walked down from a road west of Ponta Delgada to the tiny seaside community of Rocha da Relva.  The trail that we took to the village is the only access: there is no road and the boulder strewn coast is too rough to land a boat.  The beautifully crafted and mostly paved path works its way down the 500 foot lava cliffs, passing a few rustic houses and their tiny, terraced fields.  There are many grape vines, their branches trained a foot off the ground on numerous short supports.

The quaint village stretches along the sea for almost a kilometre.  It has an open air chapel and some seating facing the sea along the well-maintained trail.  Although this was no doubt a functioning village in the recent past, it was unclear to us whether it remains as such or is now only used seasonally.  We did see a few people, including a young man who was bringing supplies down with a pair of horses.  The stunning setting and access made us think of remote villages in Italy and Greece, before they became tourist attractions.  It remains a mystery to us that the Azores are not overrun with visitors.