Sights in Faro
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Sé
The sé was completed in 1251, on what was probably the site of a Roman temple, then a Visigoth cathedral and then a Moorish mosque. Only the tower gate and several chapels remain of the original Romanesque-Gothic exterior – the rest was devoured in 1755. It was rebuilt in a polygamy of Gothic, Renaissance and baroque styles, with intense gilded carving alongside elaborate tilework inside. The baroque organ is worth noting. Climb up to the rooftop miradouro (lookout) for views across the pretty walled town to the sea. If you’re lucky, you might see storks nesting in the bell towers. The cathedral buildings also house the Museu Capitular, with an assortment of sacred…
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Museu Municipal
Faro’s domed and splendid 16th-century Renaissance Convento de Nossa Senhora da Assunção, in what was once the Jewish quarter, houses the Museu Municipal, formerly called the Museu Arqueológico. Highlights are the 3rd-century Mosaic of the Ocean, found in 1976 on a building site; 9th- to 13th-century domestic Islamic artefacts; and works by a notable Faro painter, Carlos Filipe Porfírio, depicting local legends. Ask for the informative pamphlets in English about some of the exhibits, including the interesting Paths of the Roman Algarve, an atmospheric display of large rocks and plinths, and Walks Around the Historic Centre (The Inward Village).
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Arco da Vila
You enter the old town through the neoclassical Arco da Vila, built by order of Bishop Francisco Gomes, Faro's answer to the Marquês de Pombal, who oversaw the city's reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake. The top of the street opens into the orange tree-lined Largo da Sé, with the câmara municipal (town hall) on the left, the Paço Episcopal (Bishop's Palace) on the right and the ancient sé (cathedral) in front of you.
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Paço Episcopal
Facing the cathedral is the 18th-century Paço Episcopal, with a pointy red roof and finished in multicoloured azulejos (hand-painted tiles), successor to the previous Episcopal dwelling trashed by British troops in 1596. It houses changing exhibitions of sacred art, and is worth stopping in to glimpse the finely crafted interior. At the southern end of the square is a small 15th-century town gate, the Arco da Porta Nova, leading to the ferry pier.
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Milreu Ruins
Set in beautiful countryside, the ruins of this grand Roman villa provide a rare opportunity to gain insight into Roman life. The 1st-century-AD ruins reveal the characteristic form of a peristyle villa, with a gallery of columns around a courtyard. In the surrounding rooms geometric motifs and friezes of fish were found.
Tantalising glimpses of the villa’s former glory include the fish mosaics in the bathing chambers, which are located to the west of the villa’s courtyard.
The remains of the bathing rooms include the apodyterium (changing room; note the arched niches and benches for clothes and postbath massage) and the frigidarium, which had a marble basin to hold…
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Museu Regional do Algarve
Elements of old peasant life – such as a small fishing boat and a wooden water cart (used until the owner’s death in 1974) – are on display at the Museu Regional do Algarve, plus ceramics, fabrics and dioramas of typical interiors. Labelling is scarce – basic written information is available in English and other languages.
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Arco de Repouso
You can leave the old town through the medieval Arco de Repouso, or Gate of Rest (apparently Afonso III, after taking Faro from the Moors, put his feet up and heard Mass nearby). Around the gateway are some of the town walls' oldest sections - Afonso III's improvements on the Moorish defences.
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Capela dos Ossos
A more ghoulish attraction lies behind the church. The 19th-century Capela dos Ossos was built from the bones and skulls of over 1000 monks as a blackly reverent reminder of earthly impermanence, and the ultimate in recycling. There’s a similar chapel at Évora.
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Trem Gallery
In the old town, the interesting and attractively converted Trem Gallery houses temporary exhibitions by known locals and international artists – painters, photographers, installation artists and sculptors. It’s worth popping in here to see what’s on.
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Praia de Faro
The town's beach, Praia de Faro, with miles of sweeping sand, windsurfing operators and some cafés, is on the Ilha de Faro, 10km away. It's crammed in July and August. Take bus 14 or 16 from opposite the bus station (half-hourly in summer, via the airport).
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Cidade Velha
Within medieval walls, the picturesque Cidade Velha consists of winding, peaceful cobbled streets and squares, reconstructed in a melange of styles following successive batterings – first by marauding British and then two big earthquakes.
Enter through the neoclassical Arco da Vila, built by order of Bishop Francisco Gomes, Faro’s answer to the Marquês de Pombal, who oversaw Faro’s reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake. The top of the street opens onto the orange-tree-lined Largo da Sé, with the câmara municipal (town hall) on the left, the Paço Episcopal (Bishop’s Palace) on the right and the ancient sé (cathedral) in front of you.
The sé was completed in…
reviewed
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Igreja de Nossa Senhora Do Carmo
The twin-towered, baroque Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo was completed in 1719 under João V and paid for (and gilded to death inside) with Brazilian gold. The facade was completed after the 1755 earthquake.
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Igreja de São Pedro
At the southern end of Largo do Carmo is the 16th-century Igreja de São Pedro. The plain exterior hides an interesting interior of 18th-century azulejos and fine-carved woodwork.
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Igreja de Misericórdia
The 16th-century Igreja de Misericórdia, opposite the Arco da Vila, has a remarkable Manueline portico, the only remnant of an earlier chapel to withstand the 1755 earthquake.
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Igreja de São Francisco
For more dazzling woodwork, head to the frenzied 18th-century baroque interior of the Igreja de São Francisco, with tiles depicting the life of St Francis.
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Convento de Nossa Senhora da Assunção
Next to the cathedral is the stately 16th-century Convento de Nossa Senhora da Assunção, now housing the Museu Municipal.
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Ilha da Barreta
Ferries go out to Ilha da Barreta (aka Ilha Deserta), a long narrow-strip of sand just off the mainland.
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Praia de Farol
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Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo & Capela dos Ossos
The twin-towered, baroque Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo was completed in 1719 under João V and paid for (and gilded to death inside) with Brazilian gold. The facade was completed after the 1755 earthquake.
A more ghoulish attraction lies behind the church. The 19th-century Capela dos Ossos was built from the bones and skulls of over a thousand monks as a blackly reverent reminder of earthly impermanence, and the ultimate in recycling. There’s a similar chapel at Évora.
For more dazzling woodwork, head to the frenzied 18th-century baroque interior of the Igreja de São Francisco, with tiles depicting the life of St Francis.
The 16th-century Igreja de Misericórdia (not…
reviewed
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Faro Jewish Heritage Centre
The last vestiges of the first post-Inquisition Jewish presence in Portugal are found at the extraordinary Jewish cemetery, which has 76 beautiful marble gravestones. The small site also has a tiny museum and recreated synagogue (complete with a reconstructed wedding). Interested parties can ring in advance to arrange a guide. The centre is located north of town, near the Faro hospital; local buses (circuito bus 3) leave from in front of the Eva terminal. Alight at the Rotunda de Bombeiros bus stop and cross the road, the Estrada da Penha.
reviewed
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Trem Municipal Gallery of Art
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