Getting to Know the Freguesia (Parish) of

Monchique

No. of inhabitants: 6 ,974
Area 395,8 (Km2)

Caldas de Monchique

The Romans built impressive baths on the site now occupied by thermal facilities dedicated to treating rheumatism and chronic respiratory illnesses and the springs have been put to therapeutic use ever since. In 1495 King João II came here seeking relief from the illness to which he was ultimately to succumb.
A pretty square shaded by trees and flanked by attractive buildings dating from the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries epitomises the calm and relaxing atmosphere of Caldas de Monchique.

It's worth visiting the little glazed pavilion where the fountain plat's and the chapel of Santa Teresa (St. Theresa), which contains a series of 18th century tiled panels telling the story of the saint's life.
The biggest attraction of Caldas de Monchique is however the extensive wooded park that rises up the hillside. Dappled patterns of light and shade, a softly murmuring river and trees that are hundreds of years old make the perfect backdrop for a gentle stroll or a picnic at the stone tables provided.

Alferce
This charming village is made up of houses built in the style typical of the Algarvean countryside. The medieval origins of the village church are evident in its ogival porch, its triumphal arch and the ribbed vault in its main chapel.
Nearby, on Cerro do Castelo, stand the ruins of a fortification with concentric walls that was probably built by the Romans.

Marmelete
The low white houses of the Algarvean hills stand out from a palette. of warm browns and ochres.
The bucolic country chapel of Santo Antonio (St. Anthony) stands on a small elevation and affords fine views of the surrounding countryside. A Walk in the Monchique Hills Take the road up to Monchique and at almost every turn you encounter a stunning panorama of sea and mountains.
For the broadest vistas, continue as far as Foia, which at 902 metres is the highest point in the Algarve.
From there the view stretches away on one side as far as Cape St. Vincent and north to the Serra da Arrábida, near Lisbon, and on the other to Faro and a vast semi circle of hills. Picota is 774 metres high, but steeper, and has broad and perhaps even more beautiful views that take in a long sweep of the Algarve and the sea.

Such viewpoints make a good starting point for an exploration of this region of steep massifs cut through with valleys and ravines, of rivers and springs where all year round cold water bubbles clear over stone. There are many routes to choose from.
The road to Marmelete traverses a landscape of terraced slopes, fertile valleys and orchards, passing by the gigantic scar of the "foiaite" quarries at Nave. The narrow tracks that wind into the Serra lead you to places like Romeiras, settled like a sunken ship beneath a sea of mountains, or surprise you with the sudden apparition of lakes like the one formed by the dam at Bravura. Serious fans of mountains, forests, magnificent scenery and splendid isolation will venture as far as Chirão, Chà de Casinha and Taipa.

The road that leads to Sabóia and the Alentejo passes through some of the most beautiful countryside in the Algarve, a bucolic region blessed with leafy woods and groves of fruit trees watered by fast flowing streams. It is worth taking the turn off to Barranco dos Pisões evocating the old waterdriven machinery that was once used to beat the woollen cloth and blankets produced locally. Abandoned water wheels are another sign of the region's bygone economic importance.
But the most spectacular route is perhaps the road down from Alferce to Fornalhas and Monchião through the mountains, where peaks pile up grey on the horizon and valleys and slopes are covered with the green of a million trees. Trees, Flowers and Birds The temperature and rainfall of the Monchique hills are those of a subtropical maritime mountain type climate, which is why exotic plants like yams thrive here.
The serra is like a marvellous botanical garden, with more than 1,000 plant species, for many of which it constitutes the southwest European limit.

Despite forest fires and huge plantations of pine and eucalyptus, patches of oak, cork, oak, chestnut and arbutusberry tree still persist, along with hundreds of types of colourful wildflowers, turning the hills into a paradise for amateur botanists. There is plenty for birdwatchers to see too. Among the dozens of species to he found are storks, goshawks, roundwinged, royal and mottled eagles, wild pigeons, doves, water hens, kingfishers, cuckoos, owls, nightingales, bluecaps and wrens.

A Rock Called "Foiaíte"
Many millennia ago a mass of rock erupted through the schists of which all the hills of the Algarve are made, giving birth to the broken relief that lends the Serra de Monchique its charm. The igneous rocks of which the serra is formed are known collectively as syerrites.
One of them, because of its specific qualities, has been named /oiaite" and is thus forever associated u ilh Foia, one of the places where it has been found. The other, larger outcrop is Cerro da Picota.

Flavours of the Serra de Monchique
Dishes made with rice and beans or chestnuts are not to be missed. Equally tasty are the many recipes based on pork, which also finds its way into a wide variety of delicious home made sausages and blood sausages, including "farinheiras" and "mólhos". Another local delicacy is the ham cured using methods centuries old its smoky, nutty flavour is unforgettable.
Honey is an ingredient common to nearly all the cakes and desserts of the Monchique region: "bolo de tacho" and honey pudding. The nectar gleaned from the many different types of wild flower makes a fragrant, complex honey that has long had a reputation for quality. Indeed bees have been kept commercially since the 16th century. At the end of a meal nothing goes down like a glass of "medronho", the heady spirit made in copper stills from the fruits of the arbutus tree, or a sip of "melosa", a mixture of brandy and honey.

A Land of Crafts
The craftsmen and women of Monchique still make wicker baskets, wooden spoons, knives and other kitchenware, cloths and other linen items as their predecessors did for generations before them. Scissor chairs, so called because of the way they fold shut, are possibly an invention left behind by the Romans, and are to be found in all sizes. Modern craft trends are reflected in dried flower arrangements, tapestry pictures and sculptures made of tree branches.