Tag Archives: silves
Algarve Golf: New golf course in Silves
As one of the most popular pastimes in the Algarve is playing golf, the news came with a rush of excitement, as there is intense talk of a new golf course in Silves.
Algarve destinations – Algoz village
Algoz village may not be amongst the Algarve destinations that you might have heard of, despite it being located pretty much in the middle of the region, in the district of Silves, at just seven kilometers north east of the better known town of Armacao de Pera.
Algoz hosts several events each year however, your best bet is to show up during monthly market day, because it is the largest in Central Algarve.
Silves attractions – Silves castle
The Algarve town of Silves is one place that maybe not so many have heard about, it is quite well-known to those who have already been to the region, but for those who think of the Algarve as just great beaches and coastal resorts, the Silves attractions are there to provide some nice contrast.
As opposed to most other potential visiting places that you’ll find in the Algarve, Silves is set on the banks of the Arade River, a charming town peppered with orange and lemon trees and deeply steeped in history.
The 2012 Silves Medieval Fair – Feira Medieval Silves
We find ourselves right in the middle of the Silves Medieval Fair, or “Feira Medieval Silves” as the portughese is called, which started on the 28th of July and will continue till the 5th of August this year. These means that for a total of nine days, the historic city centre of Silves will be transported back in time when it was a prosperous medieval city in the Kingdom of the Algarve.
The overarching goal of this Fair is to offer to modern eyes, a view of what the city had been and how the world was those many centuries ago. Young and old, residents and tourists are all welcomed to this event which also plans to promote the country and the city to the world at large. And in the Algarve, you need to set yourself apart from the plethora of coastal resorts or quaint villages, by any means necessary, and a medieval fair will surely shine a bright light on Silves.
Silves guide
Silves, Portugal sits on the banks of the Arade River, a town littered with lemon and orange trees, Silves is a place full of history and wherever you’ll look, you’ll find some small or large thing that adds to this place’s enchanting atmosphere.
The settlement that is today known as Silves, has always been an important one in the region because thanks to its positioning, it lay at the entrance to the inland areas of the Algarve. Going there now, you can’t really see it, because the river is now too silted up to allow large vessels to travel it, but in centuries past, that was not an issue.
Any Silves guide is pretty much obliged to mention the most prominent monument in the city, namely the Castelo de Silves. This is now the best preserved castle in the region and it towers above the town alongside the nearby Cathedral. Being a fortress it was built on an overlooking hill, obviously so the views from the battlements are quite spectacular. The castle features eleven towers, two of them being barbicans, and its thick walls still enclose an area of about twelve hundred thousand square meters. Four of the towers were rebuilt during the 14th and 15 centuries and as such feature Gothic doorways.
Lagoa guide
The small and peaceful town of Lagoa, Portugal is considered by many to be the wine capital of the Algarve.
The history of this once tiny hamlet isn’t very well known till around the middle of the 13th century when the Moors conquered it and placed it under the control of the larger nearby Silves. The hamlet later become an official town, only for it to be mostly destroyed during the earthquake of 1755. however the settlement continued on, becoming an administrative town in the area which lived off agriculture, in the past. This is a very short Lagoa guide, meant to give you a better idea of the place’s history as well as present.
One of the main attractions of modern-day Lagoa comes from the start of the 19th century when the parish church was inaugurated, however there’s an older church, the Igreja de Misericordia which dates to the middle of the 18th century. The parish church features a very pleasant Baroque facade which is enhanced during the months of May and June when the surrounding jacaranda trees blossom. There also a war memorial erected nearby which pays tribute to the Lagoan soldiers who fell during the African colonial wars.
