Silves and a Patient Pooch
No dogs in the castle
Following our drive along the coast and a night in Sagres, we met friends who live in a small village just a short drive from Silves. Silves was not on our top 10 list of places to visit…but it should have been.
A Bit of History
We had planned to meet our friends at 13:30 on the Roman bridge a lovely structure which is misnamed as it was actually constructed in 1445. It reminded us of the one in Tavira. The bridge crosses the Rio Arade, a tidal river now it was navigable in historic times traveling 13km to the open ocean providing an important route for commerce.
The history of Silves is long and notable. Archeological remains suggest the land was first inhabited during Paleolithic times. The town itself was likely founded during the Roman domination (400BC to 20BC) but got its current name from the Moors, who invaded in 713 and named it Shilb (شلب). In 1189 King Sancho I of Portugal conquered
the town with the aid of other Christian crusaders. The territory continued to change hands over the next 50 years. Finally, in 1242 it was retaken by the great Portuguese warrior Paio Peres Correia and the mosque was replaced by the Silves Cathedral. However, over time the importance of Silves within the Algarve declined being eclipsed by Faro in importance.
Our Too Brief Visit
We arrived at 11:00 on a Sunday morning and easily found a free parking space near the bridge. Once again, I didn’t do any research before our visit but as we had a bit of time to explore, the three of us set off on foot. We noted an imposing structure at the top of the hill and decided that would be our target. We first walked through a lovely park complete with sculptures that I later learned were a monument to Muhammad ibn Abbad al-Mu'tamid and depicted the everyday life of people during the 11th century.
We arrived at the Castelo de Silves a few minutes later. As Onix was not permitted inside, we each purchased a ticket and toured the castle alone. It turned out that we should have allowed ourselves more time for the visit. One can walk the wall and view the magnificent landscape.
You can walk along well-maintained boardwalks and learn about the ruins from placards in Portuguese and English.
There is even the opportunity to enjoy a snack or light lunch at the cafe.
As we walked back toward the bridge we agreed that Silves would offer us an excellent day trip once we relocated to the Algarve. Onix would have to stay home on our next trip because there was so much to see. We had not had the opportunity to visit their Mercado or the Museum of Archeology, the Church of the Misericórdia of Silves, or the Silves Cathedral. Our future plans were confirmed when our friends introduced us to a fantastic vegetarian/vegan restaurant in the heart of town. Owned by a couple originally from Goa, the menu offered incredible variety including their Sunday special a vegan Wellington. We’ll definitely be back.
Thank you for sharing your travels and perspective! I look forward to your emails - good insight for those of us in the planning stages. I hope to be your neighbor in Tavira in 2024!
I'm so happy that you enjoyed Silves! We are lucky to have you two as friends. Muito Obrigado.