Faro City - Description
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Below you can see usefull informations about Faro City - Algarve - Portugal

Faro City - Description

Faro lies at the heart of the Formosa Estuary. Faro or "Óssonoba" for the Romans, was probably first founded for fishing and defence. A fishing village in pre-historic times, Faro became a trading post for the Phoenicians and Greeks, witnessed the spendlour of the Roman Empire and then saw Arab occupation. Faro survived historical and natural calamities, until in 1294 it was conquered by king Afonso III, who then proclaimed himself king of Portugal and the Algarves. Particularly attractive is the old part of the city surrounded still by the Roman walls which date back to the 9th. Inside a spacious open square that was once the site of the Roman Forum is a 13th Century Cathedral that faces the 18th Century Episcopal palace. An interesting building is the neighbouring 16th Century Convent that is now turned into the home of the city’s archaeological museum. Within it is a section devoted to the Arab occupation. The "golden" church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo is claimed to be the best example of gold-leaf woodwork in southern Portugal. It also contains the macabre spectacle of a chapel lined with the bones from over 1.200 monks! Next to the small boat basin bordering the Praça de Dom Francisco Gomes is a small Naval Museum composed of scale model boats and galleons showing the maritime history of the coast. Much of the city is now composed of apartments and there are attractive shops and a particularly artistic theatre. Faro is also the home of the Ria Formosa lagoon, a nature reserve of over 17.000 hectares and a stopping place for hundreds of different birds during the spring and autumn migratory periods. The beach is almost 7 Kms distant from the city and is a long sandy spit reached by crossing a bridge not far from the International Airport. The municipal council has an active cultural department organizing different and various events during the year.

Near to Faro is the small town of Almancil where nearby can be found the church of São Lourenço de Matos renown for its 18th Century blue tiles. At the inland village of Estói there are some notable roman ruins of Milreu depicting a home that enjoyed more comforts than some of the newly built villas in today’s world. The well-known developments of Quinta do Lago and Vale de Lobo, both five star holiday areas are located west of Faro. Together they provide 7 top quality golf courses, tennis centres, riding schools, hotels, holiday resorts and villas.