Tidal well – Poço do Aço (Steel Well)

Tidal wells are a reference in the Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture. Their presence is one of the great landmarks of the giant epic toil of the people of Pico to establish themselves and survive.
It is in the Landscape of the Vineyard Culture of Criação Velha that you will find the farthest tide pool from the coast on Pico Island – the Poço do Aço (Steel Well). It is more than 700 meters from the coastline, on private property in the Criação Velha civil parish.
There are several tidal wells of different types in this civil parish: some of them were initially intended for public use, such as the utilitarian construction at Caminho do Rosário (former Rua João Lima Whitton da Terra), or for private use, such as the tidal well at Solar dos Salemas.
Besides providing water used for domestic purposes, tidal wells were essential for the operation of the stills, given the need for large quantities of water for cooling the coils and washing the distillation boilers.