With two capital cities located a short drive from each other, we knew we had to spend time in this part of Algarve. Silves was the capital of the Moors’ Algarve for half a century. Faro is the current capital and has been for almost that same amount of time. The extensive histories of these two capitals can still be seen on their streets and in their fortified walls and make Silves and Faro fascinating places to visit.
Silves
Located on top of a hill in the Serra de Monchique mountains allowed those in Silves to keep a watchful eye over the land. The Arade River, at the base of the hill, provided the perfect conduit for efficient transport of goods to the Atlantic. From there, it was only a short distance to the Mediterranean. This geography made Silves a coveted spot since ancient times. In the 8th century, the Moors built a large fortress on this hill. It was likely built atop an older Roman one. This location was so important that Silves became the capital of the Moorish territory of Algarve. Even the name Algarve comes from the Arabic word Al-Gharb, which translates to ‘the west’.
The term Moors is used to describe Arabic and Berber Muslims who inhabited much of the southern Iberian Peninsula between the 8th and 15th centuries It is a broad term that includes many different tribes and empires. Some of these empires got along, while others were enemies who fought for control of this valuable land.
Our first view of Silves was from a viewpoint on the side of the road. Built of red sandstone from nearby mountains, it sits like a beacon on its prominence above the town. There had just been a brief rain shower so, the already red walls appeared darker and more picturesque than normal. Silves Castle (Castelo de Silves) is said to be one of the most impressive Muslim fortifications in Portugal.
Since Silves was once a capital city, it was likely filled with grand homes, palaces and mosques. It suffered extensive damage in the 1755 earthquake that shook Lisbon so today, only a few of its early buildings remain.
We entered the city near its base at the Arade River. Generations ago the river was navigable, but it has since silted up. Similar to the bridge in Tavira, Silves’ Old Bridge (Ponte Velha) is often wrongly called a Roman bridge. It was built in the 14th century but may have replaced an earlier Roman or Moorish one.
We could tell right away that this area is more visited than some of the other castles and heritage towns we saw in eastern Portugal. Even before reaching the city wall, the old streets are filled with patios and trinket shops. Tour groups were making their way up the hill in front of us.
The historic centre is still surrounded by a fortified wall. Its red brick gives it a unique look. Located under one of the towers is City Gates (Portas da Cidade). This interesting looking gate is the main entrance to the old town centre.
A narrow cobblestone lane leads up from the gate to Silves Cathedral (Sé Catedral de Silves). The historic city became the Seat of the Bishop soon after Silves became Portuguese territory, but this church wasn’t built until approximately 80 years later. The bishopric seat was later moved to Faro.
Despite its illustrious beginnings, today the church’s exterior walls are rather weathered. A wedding was taking place in the cathedral so we weren’t allowed to go inside.
As we continued to climb up the hill toward the castle, we noticed a few typical Algarvian features. Many of the doors have cute doorknockers shaped like hands or fish. Apparently, when cities in Algarve were being rebuilt after the earthquake, locals wanted artistic decorations wherever possible. The hands are often called Hands of Fatima, likely due to their Moorish history. They are unlike most Hands of Fatima we saw in North Africa though.
In addition to the knockers, there were more adorable Algarvian Chimneys, similar to those we first saw in Tavira.
The tall castle walls are in excellent condition after being restored after the earthquake. Flowering trees seemed to soften its imposing look. Inside, the castle is mostly bare walls and an open courtyard, but it still gives you an idea of how it once protected the town.
Make sure you take some time to explore the streets in the historic centre. Some of the beautiful, old buildings are still lived in by locals. Others are guesthouses, restaurants or tourist shops, but most are in great condition.
Portimão
From Silves, we continued down the Arade River to find the very popular beach resort city of Portimão. Located on the edge of the river’s estuary is an old fortress that once protected the shipping route to Silves. There’s not much left of Fortaleza de Santa Catarina anymore, but from its walls you to have a nice view of Portimão’s beaches and across the Arade River to Angrinha Beach (Praia da Angrinha).
It’s easy to see why the beaches are so popular in Portimão. The blue water is dotted with sea stacks, while tall cliffs guard the other side of the wide beach. There are two main beaches, but in September, they were mostly empty.
Faro
Located on the edge of Ria Formosa, Faro has been situated on a key spot for millennia. After the Phoenicians, Romans and Visigoths, the Moors were the main occupants. Similar to Silves, Faro was an important city to the Moors and they remained in it for almost 500 years. To protect the valuable city, they rebuilt the existing Roman wall that surrounds the Old Town.
When we arrived in Faro, we found ourselves outside of this impenetrable wall. With no way in, we walked around it until we saw Town Arch (Arco de Vila). It is one of only three gates allowing entry to the old city. The Moors originally built the gate and those remains still shape the base of the entryway. Most of that gate was damaged in the Lisbon earthquake though. What we see today was commissioned by the Bishop in the 19th century, explaining its church-like appearance.
Once you pass through the gate, don’t forget to turn around for a different view. From the inside, its easier to see the storks and their nests on top of the gate.
Beyond the arch, the streets become narrow and cobbled. Lovely two-story buildings with wrought iron balconies and old-style streetlights give the streets a lot of charm.
The narrow streets lead to a large square with Faro Cathedral (Sé de Faro) at its centre. With such a long history in this area, the church has also had a varied past. It’s believed that a Roman basilica was built here first, which was then converted to a mosque by the Moors. The building was then returned back to a church in the 13th century. Three hundred years later, the Seat of the Bishop was transferred from Silves to Faro, increasing its prominence. Inside there is a Chapel of Bones, but since we saw the one in Évora, we didn’t bother to go into this one.
On top of the tower is a rooster. We were no longer surprised to see roosters in Portugal since we learned the Good Luck Cock legend in Monsanto. You can read about that legend in our post Fortified Towns of Monsanto and Marvão.
What we didn’t expect to see though, were large planes flying just above the church’s tower. Faro’s Old Town is apparently located on the airport’s flight paths so this is a common sight. After we heard and saw one plane, we saw several more.
The large Cathedral Square (Largo de Sé) around the church is home to many 19th century buildings, including City Hall.
One building on the square caught our attention right away because it has Tavira’s scissor-styled roofs. Other than the roof though, the building is rather plain. We had heard that Bishop’s Palace (Palácio Episcopal) is much more elaborate inside than out, so we took a chance and went inside. As it turns out, those rumours are true. Gorgeous 18th century azulejos panels, painted in blue and yellow, adorn the palace walls.
In addition to Town Arch, there are two more gates that provide entry to the historic centre. One of those is Arch of Rest (Arco des Repousa), which has retained its old Moorish look. Nearby, we found another pretty palace with an uncommon baby blue exterior.
It didn’t take us long to realize that Faro’s Old Town is very small. Given that it is the capital of Algarve, we expected it to be much larger. There are enough interesting places to recommend a short visit, but outside of the city walls, Faro is just a busy, working city.
After seeing a couple of storks in Faro’s centre, we were surprised at the number of storks and nests we saw outside the city. Along the edge of the highway is an open field with hundreds of storks sitting in large nests. We’d never seen such a large collection of storks in one spot before.
To read more of our adventures in Portugal, click here.
Coming Next – Hiking the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail
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