FARO (Algarve)

The Ria Formosa lagoon attracted human occupants from the Palaeolithic age until the end of pre-history. During that time a settlement grew up – Ossonoba – which was an important town during the period of Roman occupation and, according to historians, the forerunner of present-day Faro. From the 3rd century onwards and during the Visigothic period it was the site of an Episcopal see. With the advent of Moorish rule in the 8th century Ossonoba retained its status as the most important town in the southwest corner of the Iberian Peninsula. In the 9th century it became the capital of a shortlived princedom and was fortified with a ring of defensive walls. At this time the name Santa Maria began to be used instead of Ossonoba. Later on the town was known as Harun (from a local Muslim chieftain), whence its current name, Faro. After the Moorish period, the Moors were defeated by the forces of the Portuguese King Afonso III during the 13th century. With the decline of the importance of the city of Silves, Faro took over the role of administration of the Algarve area.

The Earl of Essex sacked the town in 1596 and seized the library of the Bishop of Faro. These books were later donated to the University of Oxford, becoming part of the Bodleian Library.

During the 500 years of Moorish occupation there were some Jewish inhabitants in Faro who wrote copies of the Old Testament.

Faro is the home of the Ria Formosa lagoon, a nature reserve of over 170 square kilometres and a stopping place for hundreds of different birds during the spring and autumn migratory periods. The beach is almost seven kilometres from the city, and is a long sandy spit reached by crossing a bridge.

Although most people think that the Algarve is a sunny place all year round, it has four well-defined seasons in terms of temperature and rainfall. However, the region is in general the warmest region of Mainland Portugal. The lowest temperature in winter never goes below 0ºC, and the hottest days in summer seldom reach 35ºC. The warm climate, the beaches and the sunny weather, makes Faro district a very popular summer resort. Roughly 5 million tourists per year, including domestic tourists from Portugal and from other European origins, like the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scandinavia, Netherlands and Germany, flow into the Algarve from May to September.

The motorcycling concentration of Faro is a famous festival, renowned in Europe.