Pico island
Pico is the largest island in the Central Group of the Azores, it stands out for its impressive volcano-mountain of Pico that culminates at 2351 meters of altitude. This island was the main whaling center at the height of sperm whale hunting, but managed to overcome a phase of economic decline that resulted in the cessation of hunting, with the tourist value associated with the observation of cetaceans. The landscape to the west of the island is characterized by a coastal plain formed by lava flows. In this plain, perseverance and human effort broke through the rocky soil, creating small fields of soil surrounded by stone walls, in which vine cultivation was developed. In this landscape of vineyards on the edge of the sea, the Verdelho wine culture developed, refined over the centuries with the help of Franciscan, Carmelite and Jesuit friars. By being classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, this cultural landscape gained a deserved status and allowed to draw attention to the need to preserve the landscape, strictly associated with a form of agrarian exploitation, which can only be sustainable with the involvement of the local population. and with the development of tourist activity.