Vila Real de Santo Antonio
The TownIt's the south-easterly-most place in mainland Portugal. Any further south and you're swimming, while to the east, across the Guadiana River, is Spain (in the shape of the town of Ayamonte). Vila Real de Santo Antonio has plenty of shops and a pleasant riverfront esplanade on which to enjoy cooling breezes in summer. It also boasts a beach, that stretches west along to Monte Gordo. The centrepiece of VRSA is its radially-cobbled square with its central obelisk (see top picture), named after the good nobleman who supervised its rebuilding. It's a great place to relax at an outdoor table, and there are often musical performances to enjoy, too. Another landmark is the Farol or lighthouse that dominates the skyline from many places within the town. The BeachYes, Vila Real de Santo Antonio does boast a beach, but the road down to it is guarded by what some call 'sleeping policemen' - those concrete bumps that encourage you to slow down. I can only imagine that some more forgiving examples were tried to no effect, since the present traffic calming system will remove the underside of your vehicle if you forget to brake. Cyclists heading for the beach should also beware, since an over-the-handlebars experience is virtually guaranteed.
The beach is certainly not the best in the Algarve, but stretches all the way west to Monte Gordo. If you like a quiet beach experience (and you don't mind that access road) then Vila Real de Santo Antonio might be for you. There's little in the way of facilities: no toilets, the nearest cafe a good hike back up the road, and not even a beach chair attendant to bother you. Your main disturbance is likely to be from the fishermen perched on the causeway at the end of the beach road (and they don't say much). The beach does have the protection of lifeguards during the tourist season. Sports and LeisureVila Real is well equipped to satisfy many sporting needs, with a fine complex situated adjacent to the Farol (lighthouse). It boasts a tennis club with a good number of clay and hard courts, short tennis facilities for the younger devotees, a clubhouse / café and plenty of seating from which to enjoy the efforts of those playing the game. Next door, there's a football (soccer) stadium of a surprising size, given the town's population. I'm not a fan of the sport, so I'm guessing that the team is in a premier league, since the place is impressive. Nearby are spaces for basketball, five-a-side football (soccer again!), a municipal pool and a gymnasium. All of these are connected by park areas with bench seating shaded by majestic palms so redolent of Algarve. Even if you don't have an interest in the sports, it's a lovely place to linger in the shade on a warm day. Marina It's not huge, but it's somewhere to heave-to, if you want some land-based rest and relaxation while you're cruising down the Algarve's beautiful coastline. And it's very handily placed for the restaurants and cafes. Culture and ArtFormerly a military barracks and later a vegetable market, the Centro Cultural António Aleixo in Rua Teófilo Braga hosts varied art exhibitions. The Municipal Library (Biblioteca) has free Internet access as well as varied activities for children (and quite a few books, of course). Sights and SoundsThe Farol (lighthouse) was erected in 1923, to replace the “Farolinho de ferro” (iron lighthouse) that had come up for retirement.
Vila Real de S. Antonio - view of the Farol across a clay tennis court Casa Parodi was a home to the local Parodi family, and in 1879, the site of the first canning factory. The Riverside Zone or Avenida da República was the grand area of town, with the great and good building their two-storey mansions where they'd get the best view. There are a few other fine squares in which to enjoy a drink and soak in the local ambience, including Largo Lutegarda de Caires (dedicated to poetry and sociology, I learn!) and Largo António Aleixo, named after the celebrated local poet. Countryside TreatsThe area benefits from some lovely nature reserves: Reserva Natural do Sapal de Vila Real de Santo António is a birdwatcher's paradise. It has an information area to help you enjoy it to the full. Reserva Natural da Mata de Vila Real de Santo António is a wooded area between VRSA and Monte Gordo, much favoured for its pine-needle-covered paths and invigorating effect. Ponta de Santo António – site of a 16th century hermitage dedicated to the local popular saint - you've guessed it, Santo António. The History of Vila Real de Santo AntonioIts location has resulted in much of the history that has affected the settlement down the centuries. It had been around (in some form) since the early Phoenician settlers and was not much more than a fishing hamlet. Being near the border, it must have been vulnerable to attack from piratical marauders, as well as the not-always-too-friendly Spanish. And its position on the coast was responsible for the biggest single event in its history: its destruction in the earthquake of 1755. Hit by a tsunami, the place was levelled and was rebuilt on the instructions of the king, by a favourite minister of his. The nobleman in question was the Marquês de Pombal (which title he was awarded later) and he had a thing about building places using a grid system. Pombal had organised the rebuilding of much of Lisbon in a similar vein (though on a rather grander scale) and the King was so pleased that he wanted the same for the Algarve town - and even granted it the honour of its 'prefix' - Vila Real (royal town). Pombal's favoured grid system of laying out a town is in evidence when you walk the streets of Vila Real de Santo Antonio. It's very unlike most of the ramshackle, higgledy-piggledy places in the Algarve that evolved over the years. And that's because Vila Real de Santo António sprang from it own ashes, so to speak.
One of the first buildings completed was the Customs House (surprise, surprise), and that gave the new town of Vila Real de Santo Antonio an instant promotion to 'seat of the municipality', relegating Cacela (now Cacela Velha) from that role. It fell into disuse in the 1990s, when the Common Market rules meant that trade with Spain was not subject to tax. Now, there's a plan to give it an architectural facelift, (including the stone relief of the royal seal above the entrance door). Nowadays, Vila Real de Santo Antonio is mainly a dormitory town, with little of its former importance, and its living is commerce and tourism. It's still fun to take the ferry across the river to Ayamonte in Spain, but the Guadiana bridge a few kilometres to the north has meant that it's easy to bypass VRSA. I tend to regard it as a sleepy backwater with a good complement of restaurants, cafés and bars, an interesting past and an enjoyable place to while away some time. Why not give Vila Real de Santo Antonio a visit, and let me know what you think?
That's Spain over yonder -
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