Amid the volcanic lands of Portugal's Azores region, this coastal city's fertile topography features distinctive circular compositions of land and lakes. Across its civil parishes, the natural and urban landscapes have a beauteous charm suffused with Christian foundations, particularly the iconography and religious feast-day processions of Christ of the Miracles. But its annual Noites de Verão events, with live music and parties scattered across the city's downtown, offer secular merriment.