The Farm

O nome Quinta do Martelo advém de uma aldraba do século XVIII que ainda ornamenta o portão principal da quinta.

Esta propriedade, situada a cinco quilómetros da cidade classificada Património Mundial pela Unesco – Angra do Heroísmo, conheceu o seu auge durante o ciclo da laranja, um dos ciclos económicos importantes na economia dos Açores, depois do pastel, dos cereais, até ao hoje denominado ciclo da vaca.

Later, the estate dedicated itself to the production of wine and loquat brandy, a fruit that can still be found on the farm, alongside many orange trees and other fruit trees, simultaneously with horticultural crops that are also used daily in the traditional restaurant "A Venda do Ti Manel da Quinta".

Through extensive research, we were able to reconstruct and maintain certain regional aspects, such as the old workshops, the traditional dyeing practices, and the houses dating back to the early colonization of the Azores. We also managed to recover and adapt certain agricultural areas to organic farming and preserve native species of domestic animals.

Here, we recreate a genuine rural environment of Terceira Island, starting with the buildings and ornaments, moving on to the gastronomy and ending with the clothing, traditions, and festivities. We offer our visitors the true feeling of what life was like five centuries ago on a traditional rural farm.

The evolution of rural houses on Terceira Island began with a three-room construction, consisting of a kitchen, a central area, and a bedroom. As families grew, new needs arose, leading the central area to take on various uses, such as storage and workspace, as well as a sleeping area for young children, eventually becoming insufficient. The use of the attic increased. By extending the roof, utilizing the uneven terrain and expanding the roof structure, a space was gained where, by taking space from the backyard and adding walls, four new bedrooms were created, while maintaining the multi-purpose kitchen.

The history of the Azores, linked to its gastronomy, is faithfully represented in the Quinta do Martelo restaurant. Firstly, in the accurate depiction of the facilities and their progressive evolution, from a grocery store with snacks to a space reserved for full meals. The traditional diet of the rural population revolved around bread and subsistence farming.

However, on festive days, when there was an effort to present enhanced dishes to family and guests, products specific to these occasions were used, based on the raising of pigs, cows, or chickens, as purely seasonal delicacies to please visitors.