The Algarve / Central Algarve region:
The Algarve occupies the extreme south-west of continental Europe. It is approximately 95 miles long and 30 miles wide, and is about one seventeenth of the total area of Portugal, covering 2,000 square miles.
Low ranges of mountains separate the Algarve from the rest of Portugal to the north, whilst the Guadiana River forms the natural frontier with Spain to the east. This is the Algarve's largest river, flowing for more than 500 miles from the Serra do Caldeirão and Serra do Malhão ranges down to the Atlantic Ocean at Vila Real.
The climate is very pleasant all the year round, with more than 3,000 hours of sunshine a year. July and August can be very hot, with little or no rainfall, a warm ocean and great sunbathing plus plenty of activity all around. March to June is warm, with hardly any rainfall, and the countryside is at its best and most beautiful, a great time for walkers and sightseers. November to February is often a sunny and mild time, very quiet and peaceful.
The N 125 road, which runs from Vila Real in the east to Vila do Bispo in the west, somewhat unequally divides the Algarve, into two parts. South of the road is where most of the 300,000 population lives, close to the beautiful Algarvian coastline. The north side of the road leads into the hills and mountains that separate the Algarve from the next province of Portugal, the Alentejo, and also provide the Algarve with a natural barrier against the elements of the north.
The Algarve boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe, and can be characterised by its two distinct areas. The eastern side, known as the Sotavento (the leeward), is situated between Albufeira and Vila Real de Santo Antonio, the beaches along this coast being mainly long sandy stretches. The western coastline, known as the Barlavento (windward), and situated between Albufeira and Cape St. Vincent, has more variety, with a multitude of cove beaches, some of which are only accessible by boat.
Armacao de Pera / Algoz area:
Silves or Xelb, Shalb or Chelb as it was known, was, until the 16th century, the capital of the Algarve.
Today, Silves is a busy town boasting a castle and a cathedral. The castle's origins are pre-Roman, but many a bloody battle forms part of its colourful history since then. Restoration to its present form was carried out in 1835, and now the peaceful gardens reveal no hint of the sumptuousness or savagery that were once in existence within its mighty walls, except for the statue of Afonso III, who secured the Algarve from the Muslims. A couple of reminders of Muslim rule, and still in use today, are a 65 metre deep well and the vaulted roof of the huge cistern. The castle is also the venue for the annual Silves Beer Festival in July!
Silves cathedral is close to the castle. Modest in size, it replaced a mosque at the time of the re-conquest. Its importance, and that of the whole city, was diminished when the Bishopric was moved to Faro in the 16th century.
