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Pico

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Overview

Pico is an island in the Azores archipelago, an autonomous region of Portugal, in the Atlantic Ocean. This volcanic island is the second largest of the Azores, and provides opportunities for hiking and whale-watching. Th

Wikivoyage guide · 14 sections

▸Introduction291 chars

▸Understand1,156 chars

The island of Pico (PEE-koo, /ˈpi.ku/) is 17.5 km (10.9 mi) south of São Jorge and just 7 km (4.3 mi) east of Faial, in the Central Group of islands, an area that is colloquially known as o Triangulo (The Triangle). Pico is 46 km (29 mi) long, and at its maximum extent about 16 km (9.9 mi) wide, rising from its center to the west in the summit of the stratovolcano of Pico; making it the second largest of the Azores islands.

The three main settlements on the island are Madalena, São Roque do Pico and Lajes do Pico.

The landscape features an eponymous volcano, Ponta do Pico, which is the highest mountain in Portugal, the Azores, and the highest elevation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In the tradition of the Portuguese poet, Raul Brandão, Pico is referred to as the Ilha Preta ("Black Island"), for its black volcanic earth, responsible for its UNESCO-designated historical vineyards that allowed the development of the island.

The island supported a substantial whaling industry until 1980. The position of the island on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge means that deep water is very close. Active industries include tourism, shipbuilding and wine production.

▸By plane

Facts

Rank

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Coordinates

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

Media

From Wikipedia540 words

Introduction

Look up Pico, pico, piĉo, picó, or pico- in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Pico may refer to:

Places

[edit] The Moon[edit] Mons Pico, a lunar mountain in the northern part of the Mare Imbrium basin Portugal[edit] Pico, a civil parish in the municipality of Vila Verde Pico da Pedra, a civil parish in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, São Miguel, Azores Pico Island, the largest island in the Central Group of the Azores archipelago Mount Pico (Montanha do Pico), the distinctive stratovolcano that stands on the island of Pico Pico da Vara, the highest mountain on the island of São Miguel, Azores United States[edit] M. Pico Building, a building in Lafayette County, Florida PICO Building (Sanford, Florida) Camp Pico Blanco, a summer camp in Monterey County, California Pico Mountain, a ski resort in Rutland County, Vermont Pico Boulevard, a major street in Los Angeles, California Pico-Union, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in Los Angeles Pico, California, an unincorporated community now part of Pico Rivera, California Pico School District, now part of the Whittier City School District Elsewhere[edit] General Pico, a city in the Province of La Pampa, Argentina Pico da Neblina, a mountain in the State of Amazonas, Brazil Pico de Orizaba, a volcano on the borders of Puebla State and Veracruz State, Mexico Pico do Fogo, a volcano on the island of Fogo, Cape Verde Pico, Lazio, a comune in the Province of Frosinone, Italy Pico Paraná, a mountain in the State of Paraná, Brazil Río Pico, Chubut, a village in the Province of Chubut, Argentina

More in sights0

1 Pico Airport (PIX IATA). Direct flights from Lisbon, Ponta Delgada and Terceira. A taxi to Madalena costs about €15 (Feb 2024).

▸By boat198 chars

Atlânticoline Ferries. To Madalena: 30 min from Horta on Faial island (€3.60 per person, Feb 2024); 60 min from Velas on São Jorge island. Service also from Graciosa and Terceira. (updated Jun 2021)

▸Get around330 chars

Cristiano Limitada. Cristiano offers two bus routes on the island. (updated Jun 2021)

Taxis: usually hang out at the ferry terminal in Madalena.

It is quite easy to drive the length of the island from Madelena to Piedade and back in a day. Adding in stops like the Gruta das Torres and Mount Pico could leave you pressed for time.

▸See1,658 chars

Former biology professor Malcolm Clarke runs a beautiful whaling museum in São João. Displays about the sperm whale and its main food, the octopus (also called giant squids). There are many unique exhibits and you can also sniff ambergris. There is another whaling museum in São Roque that is worth seeing.

1 The Gruta das Torres. Nov-Apr: Tu-Sa holidays 09:00 - 12:30 13:30 - 17:00; May-Oct: daily 09:00 - 12:30, 13:30 - 18:00. A lava tube over 5 km (3.1 mi) long. 90-min tours available that take you 450 m into the tube. Reservations are required. Not suitable for people with mobility impairments. Child (up to 6) free, junior (7-14) €5, adult (15-64) €10, senior (> 65) €5. (updated Feb 2024)

2 Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture. The wine-growing area on the west coast of the island has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004. (updated Jul 2021)

3 Museu do Vinho (Wine Museum), Rua do Carmo, Madalena (at the west end of the island), ☏ +351 292 622 147, emailto:museu.pico.info@azores.gov.pt. Apr-Sep: Tu-Su 10:00-17:30; Oct-Mar: Tu-Su 09:30-17:00. A museum on the history of Pico wine making, with English explanations.

4 House of Volcanoes (Casa dos Vulcões) (in Lajido de Santa Luzia, 11 km from Madalena). Nov-Mar: Tu-Sa holidays 09:00-12:30, 13:30 - 17:00; Apr-Oct: daily 09:00-12:30, 13:30-18:00. A small museum that explains the geologic history of the island, with a video simulation of a journey to the centre of the earth, and a virtual reality simulation of two earthquakes. Child (0-6) free, junior (7-14) €2, adult (15-64) €5, senior (> 65) €2, family (2 adults and children up to 14 years old) €10. (updated Feb 2024)

▸Do1,090 chars

Swim in the largest man-made, outdoor, public saltwater pool in Madelena. It's a fantastic place to relax and cool off in the summer. The pool is deep enough for diving. Beginner swimmers should stay away from the middle, as the size is quite large.

The island also offers good opportunities for cycling.

1 Mount Pico (Montanha do Pico). A stratovolcano 2,351 m (7,713 ft) above sea level. It is the tallest mountain in Portugal. Climb the mountain in the afternoon so you can see the sunset when you reach the summit. Normally it takes 2 to 3 hours to climb, more if you are not fit. Then in the morning to see the sunrise, climb a little mountain called Pico Pequenino (Little Pico) that the mountain has on top. From there you can see the islands of Faial and São Jorge perfectly. To climb Mt Pico, you must register at the Mountain House at the base of the mountain, which controls the number of climbers each day.

Despite some natural swimming pools, the island is less suitable for a beach holiday.

The island is one of the centers for whale watching. It is also popular with divers.

▸Hiking709 chars

Popular, but demanding and strenuous, is the ascent of the Pico volcano. The Rother hiking guide Azores describes the following tours:

From Criação Velha to Gruta das Torres (2 hours 50 minutes)

Zona do Verdelho (3 hours 30 minutes)

From Furna de Frei Matias to Madalena (2 hours 40 minutes)

Montana do Pico (5 hours 45 minutes)

Around Santa Luzia (5 hours)

From Lagoa do Capitão to Baia de Canas (4 hours 15 minutes)

From Lagoa do Capitão to Cais do Pico (3 hours 30 minutes)

From Miradouro da Terra Alta to Santo Amaro (2 hours)

From Miradouro da Terra Alta to Piedade (4 hours)

The highland lakes of Pico (7 hours 15 minutes)

Ponta da Ilha (4 hours)

From Parque Florestal de São João to Silveira (3 hours)

▸Buy309 chars

There is a large Continente supermarket on the edge of Madelena, and a smaller Solmar supermarket closer to the centre.

There is also a local shop run by a Chinese family that sells inexpensive items of almost every variety from electronics to socks. Clothing is mainly imported, and as a result, expensive.

▸Eat621 chars

There are many cafes in the area and all of them offer good food for reasonable prices. Variety of food is limited mainly to bread, cheese, and beef. Vegetarians may have some trouble having a balanced meal. Even the local soups will most likely have meat or meat broth as an ingredient. If you're a vegan, be prepared for starvation.

1 Atmosfera, Rua dos Biscoitos 34, Madalena (at Alma do Pico hotel), ☏ +351 914 231 436. W–M 19:00–20:30, closed Tu. €20-30. (updated Jun 2021)

2 O Cinco, Rua Carlos Dabney 5, Madalena, ☏ +351 292 623 970. M–F 08:00–23:00, Sa 08:00–00:00, closed Su. Mid-range. (updated Jun 2021)

▸Drink116 chars

The local cafes usually double as the local bars. Beer here is cheaper than bottled water, at about €0.50 a bottle.

▸Budget402 chars

1 Boutique Hostel Porto Velho, Rua Doutor Freitas Pimentel nº5, Madalena, ☏ +351 292623777. Near the ferry terminal and centre of town in Madelena, overlooking the harbour. 6-bed dorm €3/person, double room €65. (updated Feb 2024)

2 Retiro dos Cabritos, Travessa de Santo António, 5 (São Mateus, in front of the Atlantic Ocean and overlooking the mountain of Pico), ☏ +351 917 659 073. Holiday cottage.

▸Mid-range148 chars

3 Pocinhobay, Pocinho, Candelária, ☏ +351 292 629 135, geral@pocinhobay.com. 6-room boutique hotel with traditional stone cottages and modern decor.

▸Stay safe392 chars

Towns in Pico are very safe. Crime is very low and violence is almost non-existent. However, be very aware when crossing the streets; people on this island tend to drive a bit crazy. You will frequently see cars driving at freeway speeds on cobble stone roads. Also, it's not surprising to see cars parked in the middle of a road and blocking traffic. The driving laws are loose at best.

People

[edit] Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494), Italian philosopher Pío Pico (1801–1894), Mexican politician Andrés Pico (1810–1876), Mexican general Salomon Pico (1821–1860), Mexican soldier, Californio Bandit Pico Iyer (born 1957), British writer Jeff Pico (born 1966), American baseball player Sol Picó (born 1967), Spanish dancer and choreographer Anderson Pico (born 1988), Brazilian football player Pico (footballer) (born 1988), Spanish footballer Pico (Cape Verdean footballer) (born 1992), Irish-Cape Verdean footballer Aaron Pico (born 1996), mixed martial artist, wrestler Andres G. Pico, American politician

Fictional characters

[edit] Pico, a Newgrounds character created by Tom Fulp that debuted in the Flash game Pico's School Pico, a character created by American comedy duo The Jerky Boys Pico de Paperis, an Italian name for Ludwig Von Drake, a character in the American Walt Disney cartoon series Pico, the eponymous character of the hentai anime Boku no Pico Pico West, a character in the animated web series MechWest

Science and medicine

[edit] pico-, a metric prefix denoting a factor of 10−12 PICO dark matter experiment PICO process, a medical technique to frame and answer a clinical question

Computing and electronics

[edit] Pico (text editor), a simple text editor Pico (supercomputer), an IBM supercomputer Sega Pico, a video game system designed for young children Pico-8, a fantasy console and friendly game-making software Pico projector, a handheld projector Raspberry Pi Pico, a microcontroller Pico 4, a virtual reality headset developed by ByteDance

Other uses

[edit] Beretta Pico, a small, semi-automatic pistol manufactured in the United States by Beretta Laser Pico, a small sailing dinghy Pico de gallo, a salsa made from fresh vegetables, especially tomatoes, onions, and peppers PICO National Network, a U.S. religious training organization Island Trees School District v. Pico, a U.S. legal case Pico (mango), a mango cultivar from the Philippines