Parishes:
| -
Alcoutim |
-
Giões |
| - Martinlongo |
-
Pereiro |
| -
Vaqueiros |
|
|
| |
The
municipality of Alcoutim is situated
in the Northeast of the Algarve, separated from Spain
by the River Guadiana and from Alentejo,
in the North, by the River of
Vascão.
To
the South and Westwards, it is bordered by
the municipalities of Castro Marim,
Tavira and Loulé.
Alcoutim is one of the only three
municipalities of the Algarve which doesn't have access to
the sea. The
municipality maintains
many cultural
demonstrations whose roots are lost in time:
the low white washed or bare schist houses
are abundant examples of the traditional
architecture.
The
origins of the village go back to
the Age of the Bronze. The Romans occupied these lands in
the 2nd
century BC having given
its name. The Byzantines were also
there until the arrival of the Arabs (8th century) who fortified
the village (they
built the Old Castle, which was rebuilt
in
the 10th century by the Calif
Omiad of Cordoba) and transformed it into one
of the most important places of their
domains beyond the River Guadiana. In
the 13th century (1240), King D. Sancho II conquered Alcoutim
to the Arabs and integrated it in the domains of the Portuguese
Crown.
The
architectonic patrimony of this municipality
is of great historic value. The Neolithic tombs (menhirs) and
important
archaeological remains of the Roman
and of the Arabic presence outstand. It must be referred that
in the Parish of Alcoutim.
The mother church of Martinlongo
(16th century), is one of the best examples of the Manueline-Gothic style which
exist in Portugal. The Neolithic tombs of the Lavajo, the
Roman village of Montinho das Laranjeiras and the
Calcolithic settlement of the Cerro do Castelo are
testimonies of the ancestors of the people from Alcoutim
(Alcoutinejos), who were in these places over three thousand
years ago. In
Alcoutim one lives with the virgin
vastness of the valley of the River Guadiana and with the
dazzling
ondulating views of
the ondulating mountains, having
the sky as a limit.
The
village is about
one hour distant from Faro and about 30 minutes away from
Castro
Marim. The
villages and "montes" (small settlements) of Alcoutim
are unique places for one to enjoy with an
intense calmness the hospitality and kindness
of the people of the mountains
of the Algarve.
In
the main places of this municipality
(the headquarters of the Parishes) and in the nearby
places, it remaining easy
to find excellent opportunities of
acquiring a traditional "monte" (a
piece of land - which
may be in ruins), where one can build
a pleasant holiday house, away from
the bustle of the coast, but, nevertheless,
sufficiently near the best beaches
and the excellent golf courses of
the Sotavento Algarvio and near Huelva as well. Looking
for a property in this council? |
