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English - This cache is
located at the most south-eastern point of Continental Portugal,
the "Ponta de Santo António".
You are in Vila Real de St.
Antonio, a very old village of fishermen, located near the
Portugal/spanish border, at the mouth of the Guadiana River, in the
right margin. This town was from origin - probably in the days of
Phoenicians - a small fishing port (up to 1755 had the name of
Villa de San Antonio de Arenilha). After the great earthquake of
1755, the town was completely re-designed, built and founded in
1774 by the Marquis of Pombal. He was an influential minister of
king D. Joseph I (1750-1777), and had here a role similar to that
of downtown Lisbon, where he designed almost all the town in
straight and perpendicular streets, with many similarities to
downtown Lisbon.
The city is an important historical testimony because it was built
from scratch in just two years, according to pre-production and
standardization technics used by the "House of Public Works" since
the reconstruction of Lisbon.
The end of 19th century and following decades were of prosperity to
Vila Real de Santo António. The presence of sardines and tuna in
the waters off the Algarve coast turned the town into a major
canning center, while the harbour was busy with boats going up the
Guadiana River to load the ore in the mines of Santo Domingo (in
the port of Pomarão, Mértola). VRSA is the first town in the
Algarve to have gas lighting (1886).
The history of the county does
not begin, however, with the founding of Vila Real de Santo
António. This area of coast has been inhabited since ancient times,
as some pre historic findings show (at Nora, Cacela). The Romans
and later the Arabs, have made Cacela an important village.
Taken its castle, in 1240, by D. Paio Peres Correia, Master of the
Order of Sant'Iago, Cacela was the starting point for the
reconquest of all the Algarve.
The architectural rigor of the
Marquis of Pombal is still present and fully integrated into the
urban axis. The Marquis de Pombal Square, together with the
historic "Pombal" style streets, is the main shopping area of the
city. At th Square there is an obelisk , four turrets delimiting
the vertices and the Town Hall and main Church.
Along the river, the Customs building, first to be completed, along
with the old buildings of Fisheries Societies, divides the city
into two symmetrical halves, and finishes the set by two towers
that were used to guard the village.
Places to Visit
The Historic Area Pombalina, the Marquis de Pombal Square and
Obelisk, and the lighthouse near the cache.
The natural heritage includes the
Natural Reserve of Sapal de Vila Real de Santo António, the Natural
Reserve of Mata de Vila Real de Santo António (between VRSA and
Monte Gordo) and Ponta de Santo António - named after the (now
gone) village of St. Anthony of Arenilha, on the path to the
cache!
Across the Guadiana is the town of Ayamonte, the Ferry is the
connection. If you prefer you can drive through the new bridge over
the Guadiana, about 6km north of VRSt.António.
3km to the north is the town of
Castro Marim with its imposing castle of Arab origin. Every last of
August a major medieval fair, not to be missed!
4km to the west of VRSA is the old fishing center and now major
tourist center: Monte Gordo. Situated between a large pine forest
and the sea, it was a pioneer in farm tourism in the Algarve, with
the construction of one of the first hotels in the region, in the
60s. There are long and beautiful golden beaches, a mild climate
and several pedestrian zones.
A few more kms to the west, you
should also visit Cacela Velha and its fortress, the oldest area of
the county.
The cache
The cache is at Ponta de Santo António. Drive until a couple
hundred meters from the cache and walk. At the cache you will be
considered the person most in the southeast continental
Portugal!:).
It is a small container, hidden in a location sensitive to the
state of the sea, so be careful in its replacement, and leave it
well stuck. Thank you!
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