The Western Algarve

Much more than a sun-baked holiday destination, southern Portugal boasts a proud history stretching back well before Roman times.

Throughout the area, an impressive array of monuments and museums - together with many ruins along the rugged coastline - are continual reminders of the various peoples the Algarve has played host to over the centuries.

The first visitors were probably the Phoenicians. They arrived in the region around 1,000 years before the birth of Christ and soon established trading posts along the coasts.

Then came thae Carthaginians, who founded Portus Hannibalis, now the town of Portimæo, around 550BC.

The Romans arrived in the Second Century BC and spread through the Iberian Peninsula in the following 100 years. A wealth of architectural evidence of their presence can still be found throughout the Algarve.

At the end of the Fifth Century the Barbarians invaded Europe - with the Goths settling in the south. Virtually a Christian race by then, they inhabited the Algarve until the beginnings of the Arab invasion in 711AD.

It was during the Arab occupation that the region was called Al-Gharb, meaning "the country of the west". Since then it has been known as the Algarve.

From the time Henry the Navigator established himself in Sagres, the role played by the Algarve in the Portuguese voyages of discovery was fundamental.

Countless Algarvian men, especially those from the Lagos area, took part in the great maritime expeditions of the 15th Century, bringing wealth and fame, not only to the region itself, but to the whole of Portugal.

Today, the Algarve is divided into five regions, each different in its landscape and environment, all offering unique attractions for visitors.

They are: 'Sotavento', the leeward coast, from Vila Real de Santo AntÜnio to the capital of Faro, the central coast from Faro to Portimæo, «Barlavento¡, the majestic coast from Lagos to Sagres, the «Costa Vicentina¡ facing west, and the surprisingly hilly and verdant interior which rises to two mountain ranges, the Serra de Monchique and Serra do Caldeiræo.

With the recently opened motorway it is now an easy drive from Faro International Airport to the Western Algarve (under an hour) - but it could be a world apart.

Basking in more than 3,000 hours of glorious sunshine a year, this is one of the last areas of Europe to remain unspoilt by over-commercialisation.

From the tranquillity of its sheltered southern bays and harbours to the rugged splendour of the wilder shores pounded by the Atlantic surf on the west coast, it is, above all, a region of contrasts.

Here you will discover open vistas with rolling, rural landscapes, long stretches of uncrowded sandy beaches, picturesque fishing villages nestling in rocky coves and historic towns waiting to be explored.