Moncarapacho guide
We’re pretty sure that you haven’t heard of Moncarapacho, it’s not really on the tourist route, but making a point of visiting it might not be such a bad idea, so here’s a short Moncarapacho guide.
Moncarapacho is located in the Olhao district and has only relatively recently gained city status, back in 1985.
It is set in a deeply agricultural area and well worth the journey because, a bit unexpectedly, it’s home to a museum – Museu Paroquial – that features a pretty solid display of artefacts from all time periods in the region. Outside the museum building, in the courtyard, you can see a collection of Roman pillars, carved marble finials and pre-Roman stone drinking troughts, great examples of Roman-time life.
It’s a bit weird to see such an impressive collection of artefacts in a small farming village, but most of the items were indeed found thanks to the farming activities, having been disturbed from the ground when planting crops and trees, so that explains it.
Since this is an agricultural area, there’s a large market festival held here in August, which is attended by locals from many surrounding villages celebrating their crops and partying with live music, food and wine well into the small hours. Obviously it is not exclusively for locals, all being welcomed to join in the fun.
Those of you who will be visiting will notice some unusual architecture in town, with the occasional Moorish façade here and there and the elaborate stone carved doorway of the main church – which dates back to the 18th century.
Nearly all the streets and pavements are done with the traditional cobbled stone, giving the town the particular Algarvian charm, alongside the typical Algarve one-story houses, featuring highly decorative parapet walls and rather grand chimneys.
The main square of Moncarapacho is planted with palms and trees and there are the ever-present cafes and bars here to enjoy.
If you’re traveling around the region with a car rental then make sure to stop in Moncarapacho for a bit.
