Architecture sights in Faro
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A
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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B
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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C
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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D
Cidade Velha
Within medieval walls, the picturesque Cidade Velha consists of winding, peaceful cobbled streets and squares, reconstructed in a mélange of styles following successive batterings - first by marauding British and then two big earthquakes.
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