Luz de Tavira
The houses in Luz de Tavira have the traditional "platibandas"
borders painted with geometrical or floral motifs, that frame walls,
windows and doorways - many of which are masterpieces of mortar work.
The influence of the Art Nouveau decorative style, popular at the
beginning of the century is apparent in the ornate chimneys rising
from the roofs.
The parish church at Luz de Tavira features contrasting Manueline
and Renaissance doorways and relics from before the 1755 earthquake.
Built in the 16th century much of the original structure has survived
to the present day. The imposing Renaissance porch takes up
large part of the main facade. The roofs of the three naves are hidden
by an original and highly decorative ensemble, made up of one semi-circular
and two
triangular pediments. A statue of Nossa Senhora da Luz (our Lady of
the Light) stands in a niche. There is a very ornate side porch in
the Manueline style with columns carved in the shape of twisted ropes,
a typically nautical motif. On the walls of the church there are four
stone rosettes, interpreted as symbols of the sun, moon and stars.
Tavira
Dating back to around 2000 B.C., Tavira is one of the most architecturally
attractive towns in the Algarve. The Roman bridge linking the two
parts of the town across the River Gilão was reconstructed
in the 17th century and formed part of the Roman road linking Faro
and Mértola.
11 km long and 500 m wide, the long, sandy beach setting of Ilha da
Tavira is easily reachable by ferry from the riverside in the town
centre.
The atmosphere is calm and relaxed. It's a big enough town to have
everything you want, yet small enough to walk from one side to the
other in 15 minutes.
Tavira is most famous for its churches - there are loads of them.
The most important are Igreja da Misericórdia and Igreja do
Carmo. You can sit and watch the world go by from an abundance of
pavement cafe's, or else, be real tourists and take a tour of the
whole town in its miniature train or even a beautiful horse-drawn
carriage.
There are a huge choice of restaurants, many specialising in sea food.
Self-caterers should head for the fantastic municipal market where
a wealth of fresh food is on offer each morning: fish, seafood, meat,
deli, fruit and vegetables - much of it caught, reared, killed, made,
grown and picked locally.
During the summer months, you'll find a good program of evening entertainment.
Tavira has many festivals where they decorate the town and families
congregate. Nothing seems to get going until fairly late in the evening
though, sometimes as late as 10.30 to 11.30 pm.
Between the city and the sea, you'll find the extensive sea salt industry,
oyster and fish farming, many wading birds including stork, flamingo
(winter) and avocets.
Tavira even has its own observatory on a great site just north of
the city.
Other sites of interest
Omega Parque Zoo: http://omegaparque.com/info.htm
Boat trip, Safari, Walking & Cycling website: www.sierranevada.co.uk
