Always present south of the city are the remains of a cone created after the ancient eruption of the Guilherme Moniz volcano.

This is at the end of an isthmus protected by the Fort and Church of St. John the Baptist.

If you have a car, you can reach the top in a matter of minutes, but many people choose to walk the city.

Even though the climb can be a bit costly, it is worth every step for the impressive panoramas, various fortifications, dry stone walls, grazing deer, laurel, heather, juniper and boxwood vegetation.

At the highest point there is a column with a Maltese cross commemorating the Portuguese occupation of the Azores in the Age of Discovery.

 

The Monte Brasil peninsula is   located in the parish of Sé, in the city and municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, on the southern coast of Terceira Island, in the Azores.

It consists of the downed cone of an ancient extinct volcano, originating from the sea, consisting of a caldera surrounded by four peaks: Pico das Cruzinhas, Pico do Facho, Pico da Quebrada (where the whale watcher is located) and Pico do Zimbreiro. Retains remains of the original vegetation cover and is classified as a Recreational Forest Reserve.

It forms two bays: the bay of Angra to the east, which gave its name to the city, and the bay of Fanal to the west.

 

 



 

From its top you can see a panoramic view of the city, its bay and marina, Porto Judeu, Ribeirinha, the Ilhéus and, from the west, from the Bay of Fanal, passing through the bay of Villa Maria to the parish of São Mateus da Calheta. From its top, on clear days you can see, to the west, the island of São Jorge and the island of Pico, the fishing parish of São Mateus da Calheta; Caminho de Baixo, the town of São Carlos, the beach area of Silveira and the whole city of Angra.

To the east, going up the Serra da Ribeirinha, you can see the parish of the same name, below, by the sea, Porto Judeu appears, along with the view of the Ilhéus das Cabras. Looking inland, one can see the highest elevation of the island, the Santa Bárbara mountain range, next to Serra do Morião or Nasce Água.

Between the late 16th and early 17th centuries, it was almost entirely surrounded by the Spanish by one of the largest Atlantic fortifications of the time: the Fortress of St. John the Baptist. It was she who, together with the Fort of San Sebastian, defended the city and port of Angra from attacks by pirates and privateers trying to seize the riches brought by the ships of the Career of India.

In Monte Brasil there are other places of reference, such as the Hermitage of Santo António, built in 1615.

•