Although a mere 65 square miles in area, Faial is one of the three most developed islands in the archipelago. It is 22 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide at its widest point. The capital, Horta, is also the district town of the four most westerly islands – Faial itself and neighbouring Pico, plus Flores and Corvo. Sometimes called Ilha Azul, ‘the Blue Island’, for the blue sky, blue sea and masses of blue-flowering hydrangeas (best seen in summer ), Faial has some marvellous scenery ranging from pastoral green hill slopes to the volcanic wasteland around Capelinhos, and some magnificent views of Pico.
Many of Faial’s early colonists were Flemish, following in the wake of a Flemish nobleman who became the island’s first governor. His name was Josse Van Huerter, and the city of Horta was originally the city of Huerter. Also recalling the presence of these foreign colonists is the small town of Flamengos, or ‘Flemings’, in the hills above Horta. Thanks to its excellent natural harbour, Porto Pim, protected like Angra do Heroísmo by a green hilly promontory, Faial was visited by all the early transatlantic voyagers and Horta rapidly developed into the second most important town in the Azores, after Angra do Heroísmo.
Throughout the 16th century, pirates made a beeline for Horta, and several Britons also launched punitive raids on the island, including the Earl of Essex and his young friend Walter Raleigh in 1597.
Thanks to the airport opened in 1971 and the relatively good selection of hotels, Faial is gradually becoming one of the favourite islands on the tourist itinerary.