The Stubborn Turret of the Azores

One feature of the countryside of Sao Miguel Island in the Azores is the dry stone walls of black basalt. This volcanic rock is seen throughout the island and is the most common building material. The lanes high above Ponta Delgada are lined with these walls, sometimes as high as four metres. Occasionally these are broken by an arched doorway or a window giving evidence of a former building. They are only softened by the profusion of spring flowers such as lilies, nasturtiums or hydrangeas which line the roads. 

Emerging into the village of Fajã de Baixo we came across the strangely named "Stubborn Turret" or "O Torreão das Teimosas". Derelict atop a small hill, this tower is little known except for the image carved into its walls by local artist, Vhils. "Sweet hug blessed by the moon" the face and arms of a woman, was created as part of Walk and Talk, a public art festival.
The tower was built in the nineteenth century from the period of Portuguese romanticism for lawyer and politician Henrique Ferreira da Paula Medeiros as a place of leisure and retreat. The tower is part of the Quinta do Torreão, all of which is now in ruins. The entrance from the road is flanked by two derelict buildings one of which had been a house. The top of the tower would have afforded views over the surrounding countryside and out over the nearby Atlantic. Although an empty shell, one can still trace the flights of stairs that rose through three floors.  The outer staircase is now degraded to a grassy ramp leading to the second floor.