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:

13 Apr 2025Songkran—Thai New Year
24 Mar 2026Cherry blossoms at East Lake Cherry Blossom Park, Wuhan, China
A grand view
Where the rainbow ends
4 Jul 2024Italica, an old Roman city in Santiponce, Andalusia, Spain
Red rock country
4 Jan 2025Bản Giốc – Detian Falls, Vietnam
Tis the season for travel
Heavenly hot springs
3 Dec 2023Advent Sunday
All is calm
A walk in the clouds
25 Sep 2023Sea otters
25 Aug 2024Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
23 Mar 2024World Meteorological Day
29 Dec 2024Borobudur temple, Java, Indonesia
29 Feb 2024Leap Day
A show of prehistoric hands
13 Jan 2024Road to Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA
7 Jan 2026Old Rock Day
16 Sep 2023Oktoberfest begins
Aug 27, 2023Jeju Island, South Korea
10 Jun 2024The city of Osaka at night, Japan
Reflecting on Christmas
6 Apr 2024Japan Castle Day
17 Nov 2025National Hiking Day
4 Oct 2025World Space Week
26 Aug 2025Trullo buildings in Alberobello, Apulia, Italy
The Old Bridge, reborn
29 Jul 2024Tiger siblings in Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India