| ARMAÇÃO
DE PÊRA |
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Like Albufeira, Armação de Pêra is one of the oldest established
resorts in the Algarve. The beach is enormous and extends all
the way down the coast to Galé. Besides the modern apartment
blocks, the eastern part of town has retained all its original
character, with a variety of brightly-painted fishing boats
and plenty of high-quality fish restaurants. The name 'Armação'
means tuna-fishing base. Until the 18th century, local fishermen
lived in the neighbouring villages of Pera and Alcantarilha.
After the fortress was built to defend it against pirates, who
began terrorising southern Spain and Portugal in the 16th century,
the fishermen felt safe enough to build their homes near the
fishing harbour. Based in Tripoli, Algiers and Morocco, the
notorious Barbary corsairs looted ships and towns, selling captives
into slavery. What to see. Although largely a ruin, visitors
to the 18th-century fort can still see the tiny chapel and vestiges
of the walls. Nearby. Around Armação de Pêra curves the most
beautiful coastline in the Algarve. To the west, the sea has
eaten into the soft, creamy limestone, carving it into fascinating
shapes; arches and pinnacles rise sheer out of the translucent
sea. The pretty beach of Nossa Senhora da Rocha has a tiny pilgrim
chapel on the headland, where a popular religious festival takes
place on 4 August each year. The parish church at the neighbouring
village of Alcantarilha houses a chapel decorated with human
skulls and bones. |
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| © 2007 Maisturismo |
