Vila Franca Islet, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal 13 Jun 2025

Vila Franca Islet, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

Not far from São Miguel Island in the Azores archipelago of Portugal, you"ll find Vila Franca Islet. This uninhabited green islet sits quietly just south of the town of Vila Franca do Campo. Beneath its serene surface, this gem holds a lively past. First documented in 1537, around the time when settlers from São Miguel began expanding westward, Vila Franca Islet has played many roles throughout its history. It has served as a military fort, a port, a vineyard site and even a lookout for whale-watching.

© ARoxo/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Dare to delve into this dense swamp
The world’s greatest oasis?
13 Jun 2024Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

More Desktop Wallpapers:

In the foothills of Snowdon
Look up, incoming…
12 Nov 2023Diwali
16 Aug 2025The Isle of Wight Garlic Festival
28 Mar 2024Cherry blossoms in Shanghai, China
4 May 2024Brighton Festival
13 Mar 2024Lake Magadi, Kenya
A flashy, frigid waterfowl
Hovering over harmonious horticulture
22 Aug 2024Ocean City, Maryland, USA
7 Jan 2024Great Staple Tor, Dartmoor National Park
Colors of spring
A shallow sea
When ice imitates art
11 Jan 2024Eurasian lynx
24 Dec 2023Christmas Eve
A future built on the past
22 Jan 2025Ad-Deir, Petra, Jordan
10 Sep 2025Hay bales in North Yorkshire, England
15 Apr 2025World Art Day
24 Mar 2024Silvereyes
27 May 2025Mona Vale rockpool, Sydney, Australia
Sep 7, 2023Camels in the desert, United Arab Emirates
A view that’s out of this world
17 Oct 2024Kochia, Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
Whats a distaff?
25 Dec 2024Merry Christmas!
21 May 2025International Tea Day
8 Jul 2025Seceda, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy
29 Apr 2025Garden at Château de Villandry, Loire Valley, France