Mata-Jardim José do Canto

On the southern shore of Lagoa das Furnas, the Mata-Jardim José do Canto stretches along the water in a landscape of camellias, ferns and tall exotic trees. Created in the nineteenth century by the same José do Canto of Ponta Delgada, it is one of the most atmospheric gardens of the Azores, crowned by its gothic chapel above the lake.

History and character

The garden was founded in the 1860s by José do Canto, with a design shaped by the French landscape architect Jean-Pierre Barillet-Deschamps, one of the great names of nineteenth-century park design. Around the lawns and walks the owner gathered great collections of camellias and trees, and at the centre he built the neo-gothic chapel of Nossa Senhora das Vitórias, where he and his wife are buried.

What to see

• The camellia collections, among the finest in the Atlantic.
• The tree ferns and exotic trees along the lake shore.
• The neo-gothic chapel of Nossa Senhora das Vitórias.
• The walks beside the Lagoa das Furnas and its steaming shores.

Najlepszy czas na wizytę

Camellias flower in winter and early spring, when the garden is at its most remarkable; summer brings the full green of the lakeside walks. The weather of the Furnas valley can change quickly — bring a light waterproof layer.

Nearby

The garden shares its shore with the Lagoa das Furnas and the caldeiras, in the municipality of Povoação.

Visiting

The garden is at Furnas, on São Miguel, about forty minutes by car from Ponta Delgada. Entry is ticketed and the garden follows seasonal opening hours; check the official page before your visit.

Information: matajosedocanto.com.

Image credit: Fern tree in the Mata-Jardim José do Canto, Furnas, by Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.