Introduction
To Algarve
The Algarve,
with its shimmering ocean beaches, exquisite countryside
and golden treasury of superlative golf courses playable
whatever the season thanks to the year-round sunshine
climate, is one of Europe’s best-loved holiday
destinations. Less than 3 hours flying time from most
European airports, the Algarve is also the location
of first choice for an increasing number of home seekers
and regularly tops the list for those seeking a sound
property investment.
History
According to
ancient Greek sources, the original inhabitants of
the Algarve were a tribe known as the Cunete.
Sometime around 1300 BC, the Cunetes received their
fist visits from the Phoenicians a maritime people
coming from the eastern Mediterranean who probably
founded trading posts on the coast at |
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Portimão, Silves and Lagos. Perhaps the most
enduring legacy of the Phoenicians is seen in the
elaborate shape of the traditional Portuguese fishing
boat with its almost Greek looking prow and the mystical
eye motif so often seen painted on the bow, said to
protect mariners from the perils of the seas.
When the Romans occupied the province, they improved
and fortified the coastal settlements and built roads
crossing the region. In about 450 AD the Visigoths,
an amalgamation of Germanic tribes, wrested the control
of the Iberian Peninsula (and about half of France)
from the Romans and ruled until they were in turn
defeated by the Muslims who invaded the Peninsula
in 711 and remained in the Algarve for the next 500
years and more.
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The
Algarve enchanted the Muslims from their very earliest
arrival. Their chroniclers and geographers describe
it in handsome terms, Ibn Saíd (13th century)
had the following to say: …it is a country
abundant in fruits and produce of every kind with
many cities and towns…its houses, always whitewashed,
inside and out, being a delight to behold set adjacent
to green trees…looking like unmatched pearls
set in a bed of emeralds.. Indeed the houses of
the Algarve still reflect the Moorish influence
with their rectangular shape, whitewashed walls
and flat roof terraces.
From about
the beginning of the 11th century, the Christians
states in the north of the Peninsula started in
earnest on the campaign to push the Muslims back
into North Africa. The re-conquista (as it came
to be known) soon gained the sanction of the Pope
and became a true holy war; indeed, a Crusade in
the true sense of the word. Despite King D. Sancho
I of Portugal managing to conquer Silves in 1189
with the help of a fleet of passing Crusaders (on
their way to Palestine and the Third Crusade) the
Muslims re-took the city soon after in 1191 and
it was not until 1248 that Silves was taken definitively
for Christendom and 1250 before the last Muslim
stronghold, Aljezur, was conquered in the Algarve
thus ending Muslim rule in territory today Portuguese.
The 15th century
saw the great age of Portuguese maritime discovery,
which was born in the Algarve at Sagres, the south-western
extremity of Europe, under the guiding hand of Infante
Dom Henriques (Prince Henry the Navigator). His
famous caravels were built in shipyards founded
by him in Lagos and, soon, Portugal was leading
the way in the exploration of Africa and Asia |
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Map
The Algarve is divided into 3 regions ...
... the “Sotavento”, being the “leeward,”
eastern side extending from Vila Real de Santo António
to Faro;
... the “Barlavento”, or “windward”,
western side stretching from Faro to Cabo de São
Vicente;
... the “Barrocal”, the lowland area
between the coast and the mountain ranges of Monchique
and Caldeirão.
The Algarve is well provided with main roads and
rail and the international airport at Faro, served
by several major airlines is usually never more
than a 90-minute drive away. Lisbon is only a 2
hour drive away using the newly completed motorway
bringing day visits or short breaks to the capital
within easy reach.
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Weather
Considered
by many to have one of the healthiest and most agreeable
climates in the world, the Algarve enjoys long,
dry summers with an average of 12 hours of sunshine
per day, it being remarkable to see any rain at
all between early-June and mid-September. In recent
years, summer temperatures have averaged 28-30ºC,
nevertheless, even with highs sometimes in the 40ºs,
thanks to the freshening influence of the Atlantic
breezes, summer days are rarely stifling and uncomfortable.
Winters are mild and often equate to a typical Northern
European spring with temperatures averaging about
16ºC and with around 6 hours of sunshine per
day. The region’s rainfall occurs mainly between
the months of October and March and there is a pleasing
degree of variation between the four seasons of
the year.
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