Getting to Know the

Vila Real de Santo António Area

Cacela -
A Town with a History Settled by the Romans.
Cacela was an important 'villa' connected with the fishing and fish salting industries: several tanks used in the latter process have been discovered.
During the period of Moorish Occupation it had a defensive rampart and after the Christian reconquest it was a town with a Charter granted by King Dinis in 1283.
The gradual silting of the Pedra Alva river, which runs close by, and the formation of the strip of dunes making up the Ria Formosa left Cacela cut off from the sea and from activities related to the sea and contributed to a decline in its population.

The "coup do grace" was delivered by the earthquake of 1755, which devastated Cacela. As a result it lost the statute of town and was merged with the territory of the newly founded Vila Real de Santo António.
Today Cacela Velha is a small town of farmers and fishermen with whitewashed single-storey houses and a magnificent view over the sea and the vast dunes of the Ria Formosa.

Main church
With its origins in a 13th century building, of which all that remains is a small gothic side porch. The present church dates from the 16th century and was relbuilt in the 18th.
It boasts a renaissance portico, with busts of the Apóstolos São Pedro and São Paulo (Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul) and ornate pilasters. The interior consists of three naves, with ogival arches held up by columns with bases and capitals decorated with hemispheres and rope motifs. The chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Mártires (Our Lady of the Martyrs) has a painted fault and a Renaissance arch.
There is a statue of Nossa Senhora da Assunção (Our Lady of the Assumption) (18th century) and two of Christ (16th century). This church's holy treasures include a processional cross in wrought iron decorated with figures.

Fort
Polygonal in shape, the fort was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century. Travelling up the Guadiana Flowing between hills bright with colours of wild flowers and the green of cork oaks and pine, the Guadiana River has for centuries marked the frontier between Portugal and Spain.

From Vila Real de Santo António boat trips run regularly up the river and provide an opportunity to become acquainted with a different Algarve.
Among the sights to be seen are villages of whitewashed houses that seem to spill down the slopes to the water's edge and the thousand-year old castle at Alcoutim proudly standing guard over the river.

The Delights of Nature
The Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António Salt Marsh Nature Reserve and the Ria Formosa Nature Park are wonderful places for birdwatchers and botanists alike.
Both have visitor centres offering advice and information. The cool shade of the National Forest which connects Vila Real de Santo António with Monte Gordo is an invitation to take invigorating walks and get to know the indigenous flora and fauna.

Tasty Fish and Sea Food
Fishing communities mean fresh fish: dory, snook, mackerel and sardines among others, all delicious grilled.
The choice of seafood is vast, but special mention must be made of the clams and cockles caught in the sand at low tide and the superlative prawn and lobster.
Traditional recipes include a variety of ways of cooking fresh and salted tuna: thick steaks, with onion and bay leaf to add flavour, or "estupeta" where the tuna is served with a refreshing salad of peppers, tomato and onion. And who can resist the delights of baby cuttlefish served in their own ink, a delicacy that leaves you with a black mouth but tastes divine?
To round off a meal there is nothing better than a juicy orange or one of the many desserts typical of the Algarve.

The Art of the People
Fine lace, which has long been associated with fishermen's wives, is still produced in Vila Real de Santo António. The town is also home to two saddlers who make the tack and flourishes, decorated with coloured wool and a mirror to ward off the evil eye, worn fit the mules that are still used for farm work in the hills of the interior.
Marionettes for puppet theatres and collectors are among the new directions taken by traditional craftsmen.

The Pleasures of Sea and Sun
Children love warm and calm water to play and swim safely-. Grown-ups love immense beaches, where place and horizon are the main aspects.
Charming beaches that attract more and more all those who lose the sun and the sea of the Algarve.

Monte Gordo
For centuries fishermen's shacks were the only sign of human life on the broad sands surrounded by pinewoods. The beauty of the beach and the warm, safe waters attracted the first foreign tourists in the 60s, making Monte Gordo something of a pioneer in the development of tourism in the Algarve.
Today it is an international tourist destination and counts a casino among its more urbane attractions.

Santo António
A lighthouse marks the location of this calm family beach, with its long sweep of sand. Support facilities.

Lota
Pine-fringed sands Support facilities.

Manta Rota
This is a tourist spot that still manages to preserve something of the flavour of a fishing village. There is a long beach. Support facilities.

Fábrica
Opposite the historic town of Cacela Velha. Fishing boats ferry visitors across the creek that is part of the Ria Formosa to a sand bar that stretches away as far as the eye can see. Support facilities.