Fogo Island is one of those places that feels like it shouldn't exist — a rocky outpost off the northeast coast of Newfoundland where fishing communities have endured for centuries, and where a bold arts and hospitality project has put a remote island on the global map without erasing what was already there.
Studios on stilts
Four contemporary artist studios, designed by Saunders Architecture, perch on the rocks at different points around the island. Each is a different colour, a different shape, and entirely open to the landscape. Artists come for residencies; visitors can tour the exteriors and absorb the idea that art and place are inseparable here.
Iceberg alley
In late spring, icebergs calved from Greenland glaciers drift south along the Labrador Current. From Fogo's shores you can watch them pass — blue-white towers moving slowly through the fog. Locals track them by radio and word of mouth. No two days are the same.
What to expect
The ferry from Farewell on the mainland takes about 45 minutes. Book accommodation well ahead — the island has limited rooms and the Inn at Fogo Island is famously exclusive. Weather changes fast. Layers, always layers.