Faial Island, also known as Fayal, is a Portuguese island of the Central group of the Azores. The nearest island is Pico Island to the east. The island is also referred to as Ilha Azul (the "Blue Island"), by poet Raul Brandão, due to the large quantity of Hydrangeas that bloom during the summer months.
Today, Faial Island encompasses some 67 square miles, but back in 1957 it was a mile less. The lava from a 1957 volcanic eruption eventually added to the land mass and made the island’s western end look a lot like the surface of the moon. Now a regional park, the landscape is one of reddish and black dust rock and the charred remains of a lighthouse. Mount Gordo still stands at the center of the island.