Olhão
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Albufeira Alcoutim Aljezur Castro Marim Faro Lagoa Lagos Loulé Monchique Olhão Portimão São Brás de Alportel Silves Tavira Vila do Bispo Vila Real de Santo António
One of Algarve's main fishing ports, as well as a canning centre for tuna and sardines, Olhão has cubic whitewashed houses with flat roof terraces and chimneys that are evocative of Moorish architecture. Behind the Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário, from the 17th century, the Chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Aflitos is where the wives of fishermen gather to pray for their safety when the weather is stormy. But the town's main attraction is its market, one of the most animated and picturesque of Algarve, with an enormous variety of seafood but also local farmers selling fruit, honey and live chickens. Nearby, the village of Fuzeta is like Olhão on a small scale and is well appreciated by windsurfers. A few kilometres inland, Moncarapacho is proud of its Church of Saint Christ, with a beautiful doorway and painted arches. In the region, Parque Natural da Ria Formosa is considered the most important sanctuary of wildlife in Algarve. Its lagoons, marshes, channels and islets are abundant in shellfish such as cockles, clams and oysters and shelter, amongst other species, a variety of birds such as the cattle egret, the white stork, the purple gallinule, the red-crested pochard, etc. This natural reserve stretches along 60 kilometres and its rich ecosystem is ideal for the development of varied fauna and flora.
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