Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
baroque organ is worth noting. Climb up to the rooftop
miradouro
(lookout) for views
across the pretty walled town to the sea. If you're lucky, you might see storks nesting in
GOOGLE MAP
, with an assortment of sacred artwork (vestments, chalices, saint statues in
glass boxes) and a small 18th-century shrine built of bones to remind you of your mortal-
ity.
Paço Episcopal
NOTABLE BUILDING
(Largo da Sé; admission €1.50)
Facing the cathedral is the 18th-century Paço Episcopal (no
longer open to visitors), with a pointy roof and an exterior finished in multicoloured
azulejos
(hand-painted tiles); it's the successor to the previous Episcopal dwelling trashed
by British troops in 1596. At the southern end of the Largo da Sé is a small 15th-century
Museu Municipal
MUSEUM
( 289 897 400; adult/student €2/1; 10am-7pm Tue-Fri, 11am-6pm Sat & Sun summer, 10am-6pm Tue-Fri,
10.30am-5pm Sat & Sun winter)
Faro's domed and splendid 16th-century Renaissance
Convento de
Nossa Senhora da Assunção
, in what was once the Jewish quarter, houses the Museu Municip-
al, formerly called the Museu Arqueológico. Highlights include the 3rd-century
Mosaic of
the Ocean,
found in 1976 on a building site; 9th- to 13th-century domestic Islamic arte-
facts; and works by a notable Faro painter, Carlos Filipe Porfírio, depicting local legends.
Ask for the informative pamphlets in English about some of the exhibits, including the in-
teresting
Paths of the Roman Algarve,
an atmospheric display of large rocks and plinths,
and
Walks Around the Historic Centre (The Inward Village)
.
Trem Municipal Gallery of Art
GALLERY
(Rua do Trem; 10am-6pm Tue-Fri, 10.30am-5pm Sat & Sun)
This attractively converted build-
ing houses temporary exhibitions by known local and international artists - painters, pho-
tographers, installation artists and sculptors. It's worth popping in to see what's on.
Arco de Repouso
LANDMARK
