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Vila Real de Santo António
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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
Located at the mouth of the Guadiana river, this strategic zone is believed to have been used by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians many years before the birth of Christ. But the modern Vila Real de Santo António was designed and built in the 18th century by Portugal's powerful prime-minister, the Marquis of Pombal, with the aim of creating a model fishing port. The pombaline style is visible in the town's urban arrangement, particularly in the main square, which bears the name of its founder. Today, the town is a tourist and commercial centre, the more so because it is situated just across the border, with only the river separating it from Andalucia. In the region, Cancela Velha is a small village of fishermen's houses perched on a cliff overlooking the sea, peaceful and still unspoilt by tourism. In contrast, Monte Gordo is a popular holiday resort crowded in Easter and Summer by tourists that fill its restaurants, pubs and small casino. It has a beach of amazing extension in a bay of warm waters which also encompasses the beaches of Manta Rota, Alagoas e Praia Verde, all with vast stretches of sand.
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