Velas, or Vila de Velas, is the island capital and a picturesque huddle of houses beneath steep green hills on the south coast. Partly because São Jorge was always annexed to Terceira, never having a governor of its own, few merchants or nobles wanted to settle here and there is a consequent dearth of grand mansions and other historic monuments. The simple Igreja Matriz, dating from the 17th century, with a very elegant black and white bell-tower topped by an oriental-looking white dome and the Igreja de Sao Francisco are among the few notable constructions in the town, with the possible addition of the 18th-century town hall.
Climbing out of Velas to join the main road that runs from end to end of the island, the visitor soon gets an idea of what to expect from the roads. They twist and turn in and out of river valleys, following the mountain contours. At the summit of Morro Grande (`Big Hill’, 500 ft) on the promontory sheltering Velas, there are marvellous views in all directions of steep cliffs and hills. The low-lying shelf on which Velas itself lies and south-west to the majestic cone of Pico, which seems to be visible from every part of São Jorge. North-west of here the main road passes through a ribbon-like spread of houses that together make up the village of Rosais, and finally comes out of the westernmost tip of the island, Punta dos Rosais, with a lighthouse and marvellous views of Pico, Faial and Graciosa.
