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An
elegant town, Alte is easily found in the Algarve region in the south
of Portugal just northeast of Albufeira. It rests at the foot of the
hills, curled up and cozy, huddling around its parish church, The Lady
of the Assumption going back to the 16th century very well decorated
with lovely tiles. On the interior in the chapel, the tiles, which
are considered the best in all Algarve, are from Sevillain origen from
the 16th c., too. Alte, is perhaps, one of the town of characteristic
conditions in the province, with its delicate chimneys, finished off
in white, its simple houses hidden in coves or canyons and its eternal
serenity.
Anearby stream,
where people go to collect water, has converted this area in somewhat
of an oasis in middle of an arid place. It is an exuberant garden
of azaleas, fig trees and rose bushes. The panel of blue and white
tiles which surround the Fountain da Bicas have poems written by
Candido Guerreiro on them. This is a perfect place to go for leisurely
strolls, for a field picnic or to ride on the back of a donkey,
climbing up to the Pena ( peak ), where you can visit the Cave
of the Moors. A little further up, the Rocha dos Soidos, a cave
with beautiful calcium formations is still visible.
But as always,
we must not limit our holidays to only one town or city, but to
fully enjoy the surroundings. Not far from Alte, heading towards
Lagos, the countryside changes drastically as we get near Salema.
Having rent a car, all these side trips can be more memorable because
we can travel as we please and stick our nose were we shouldn´t.
Salema, a tourist city has an enchanting chapel called Our
Lady of Guadalupe from the 13th c. which is believed to have been
built by the Templars Order.
Being as the
Algarve area is used to having tourist, when you travel there are
a lot of hotels, rural houses and Pousadas, that you can reach
with you rent a car. When you fly into the Faro International Airport
on your economical flights, you will be able to arrive at Alte,
Portugal in less than 45 minutes. In and around this city there
are fantastic hotels, or as mentioned before, rural houses or pousadas
overlooking fertile valleys with outstanding views and sunsets.
Can you imagine spending your holidays in a cottage, viewing the
city of Alte from your paradisiacal retreat? Either hotels or other
accommodations are usually accompanied by terraced gardens where
you can have your midday meals and then in the evening venture
up to a roof terrace to enjoy an intimate evening supper with superb
sights.
Lisbon, even though it is further away, should not be left without
seeing. From Alte to
Lisbon the highway is a fairly good one, and
as you are making your way to Lisbon, you may stop at other undiscovered
places to have typical meals and search for the hand-made wares that
the Alte in the Algarve region is so well known for.
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