The dark red of mighty castle walls that loom over the city and the surrounding countryside. The interplay of stone and light in the architecture of a gothic church. Vestiges of the Moorish presence in the city's history. Streets of white houses that reflect the sun and the blue sky. Herein lies the appeal of Silves, where the past merges with the present to make every visit an enduring memory.

Monuments

Sé Velha (Old Cathedral)
Built out of the region's fine red sandstone, possibly on the site of the old mosque. The man façade is dominated by the gothic doorway spanned by a backdrop which ends in a veranda held up by corbels with gargoyles. The only other elements surviving from the original building are the circular window and the two buttresses, as the rest of the façade and the towers are baroque.

Castle
The biggest castle in the Algarve and the most beautiful military monument to the Islamic period in Portugal, it has its origins in the ramparts built around the town during the Moorish occupation, probably on the site of late Roman or Visigothic fortifications (4th 5th centuries).

Crafts Past and Present

A number of traditional crafts are still carried on in the municipality: in Silves there is a craftswoman who makes delicate bobbin lace, while in the surrounding hamlets women still weave wicker and coarse "esparto" grass to make useful domestic objects. More in line with contemporary tastes are the tiles, pottery and miniatures of typical Algarvean houses made in Silves, the quilts and cushions fashioned out of scraps of brightly coloured linen, also in Silves, and the jewellery and other decorative objects made in the village of São Marcos da Serra up in the hills.

Culinary Pleasures

In places near to the sea, fresh fish is understandably the star attraction at the dinner table. Sardines, horse mackerel, sea bream, snook and many other types of fish are caught and served grilled with a slice of lemon - delicious! Sea food, including lobster, shrimp and clams, is also abundant.
Further inland the cooking has a different slant. Corn mush, orange juice and pork are among the ingredients favoured in the intermediate zone known as the "Barrocal" and the hills of the Serra Beyond.

As far as sweets and puddings are concerned, Silves is famed for its "morgados", which are decorated with leaves and flowers made of sugar, and its "lesmas", which are filled with a sweet eggy paste, while in Messines "folhados" are a speciality.