It is one of the most tourist cities of the Algarve, in Portugal.
The city of Faro has two distinct faces and equally interesting, let's say there is a bit of everything for everyone. On one hand, an older facade, where we can enjoy many buildings and monuments of great interest, is a kind of time travel through the history of Portugal in architectural terms. We started are walk in the wall erected by the Moor prince Bem Berkr in the year 900 AD and the rest arc that is still the gateway to the medieval walls, built by the Arabs, consisting of 2 towers with two side entrances, as a way to prevent Christian invasion. A conquest to the Arabs that fatally happened almost 400 years later, thanks to Dom Afonso III. The maritime feature of this port city enabled a growth during the period of discoveries further potentiate the development of Faro, a living proof of that past is the municipal museum of the city, the former convent of Our Lady of the Assumption erected by Queen Dona Catarina, under an old Jewish quarter, is a good example of Renaissance inspiration. The square of the Sé, as the name implies is where we can visit Faro's cathedral, also can enjoy the Bishop's Palace with its rocaille tiled and the diocesan seminary. The nineteenth century brought with it wealth to the merchants and industrialists of the Algarve and one example of architectural revival is Belmarço mansion and now one hundred years later the headquarters of the Portugal's Bank makes gala of its Moorish inspiration.
But enough of buildings and monuments covered with secular dust, let's address the other side of Faro which is the sea, with its extensive sandy beaches for idyllic swimming idyllic. The Barreta on the desert island is uncrowded and as such is a sanctuary for wildlife, particularly birds and at low tide we can spot up various types of shellfish, for those not enjoying the baths, not problem, the city council created a bridge that allows you to enjoy beautiful dune landscapes, but remember, at the end there is an area reserved for naturists! All attention is needed! The Lighthouse beach, is another tourist sites of this land facing the ocean, which can only be accessed via boat, this is an area already urbanized and can even be a bit disappointing, but nothing that can fade away the beauty of fauna and flora of the Ria Formosa, a great place for a late magical afternoon.
