The first visitors to this area of southern Portugal were Greeks who arrived in the fifth and sixth centuries B.C. Hannibal, the leader of Carthage, later founded a port city there in his name. Then, in the eighth century A.D., came the Moors. They were driven out 500 years later by the Crusaders, but not before giving the region its name--"al gharb," Arabic for western land.
Today's travelers to the Algarve--the southernmost province of Portugal--are more peaceful. They come primarily from Britain, France, Germany and the Scandinavian countries, plus a trickle from the United States. They are drawn by an even year-round climate, some of the most inviting beaches in the world, the unique culture and character of the people, and prices that translate into one of the last travel bargains available. Indeed, the cost of accommodations, meals and other expenditures has increased relatively little since the Portuguese government opened the Algarve to development--under strict controls intended to avoid over-commercialization--in the mid-1960s.
A glance at a map provides an immediate introduction to the geographic features that produced the distinct character of the Algarve and its people. The region is small, stretching about 100 miles along Portugal's southern shore, 25 miles from the beaches to the rugged hills to the north. That mountain range has served to both block the damp, colder climate of the rest of the country, and isolate the region geographically. The result has been development of characteristics unique to the province: the lean faces and dark Moorish eyes of the people; the square, white or pastel houses, built in a style resembling Moslem structures on the North African coast--many topped with elaborate pottery chimneys; tiny isolated hillside villages, where women return from a central well with water pitchers balanced precariously on their heads.
The people's background also is evident in other ways. Many villagers dress in black and carry a black umbrella to block out the hot sun, although some embroider flowers on their dress or tuck one in the brim of their hat. A familiar sight is that of families heading for church or the nearby town riding in a donkey cart. Here and there, amidst coastal fishing villages and hillside hamlets, looms the beguiling shape of a Moorish castle or other structure.
To me, one of the most interesting juxtapositions of architectural reminders of the past is in Silves, once the proud capital of the Moors' Iberian empire. There stand the remains of a great red sandstone castle, including two underground cisterns; a thirteenth century cathedral, and the Cross of Portugal, a sixteenth century stone lacework cross that is classified as a national monument.
Many of the most enticing sights--which tend to keep cameras of visitors clicking non-stop--are encountered during visits to the villages. Paralleling the ocean is the main east-west road which is set back a mile or two from the beaches to reduce congestion, enabling visitors to combine stops at a number of towns in a single day's drive.
Most hill towns are built around market squares, where residents auction off farm animals and sell their wares: colored tiles, esparto grass plaited into handsome mats, baskets and bags, pottery, and any number of articles made of cork. The squares also serve as the center of
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