The island of São Miguel gains, as of this Saturday, a new tourist attraction, with the inauguration of Parque da Grená, on the north bank of Lagoa das Furnas, a property with 18 hectares of forest.

With 18 hectares of forest, showing “untouchable nature”, Parque da Grená wants to assert itself as a new point of interest on the island of São Miguel, in a property where a watercourse passes, with a waterfall, and where you can see the ruins of an 1858 manor house, explains the park management.

Parque da Grená is inaugurated, after a year of cleaning the land, from which three tons of garbage were removed.

The investment made so far represents only 10% of the total planned investment, says Norberto Botelho, administrator of Feliz Terra, the company that manages the space, since the intention is to recover the ruins of the house.

Without committing to deadlines and without advancing the contours of the project “that is being agreed upon” with the various responsible entities, Norberto Botelho guarantees that it will serve tourist interests, but emphasizes that he has to obey a series of restrictions since he answers to “a web of sensitive areas and legislation” to protect the surrounding area, such as the Lagoa das Furnas River Basin Management Plan, or the São Miguel Island Natural Park regime.

After years of abandonment, the land now managed by the Azorean company Feliz Terra, which was owned by the Regional Government of the Azores, was acquired by a group of foreign investors by public auction for 500 thousand euros.

As of this Saturday, it can be visited by families and pets, with a rate applied for residents who, with the 10 euros of the ticket, are entitled to five tickets, transferable to other residents.