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This town's long history is clear from the
discovery on Vila Velha hill, overlooking the Ria de Alvor, of a
Neolithic village retaining traces of subsequent Roman occupation.
During the period of Moorish rule, Alvor was a thriving port. The
ramparts defending it were the scene of violent fighting when the
Portuguese army led by King Sancho I
conquered it in 1189, with the help of Crusaders en route to the Holy
Land. Retaken by the Moors in 1191, it was only returned to Christian
dominion in 1250, at the time of the campaigns that resulted in the
conquest of the whole of the Algarve.
The town walls were rebuilt in 1300 and Alvor was made a town by King
João II, who died there in 1495. It shared in the prosperity of the 15th
and 16th centuries, but was laid low by the earthquake of 1755. The old
town was never to regain its former splendour.
Alvor retains much of the charm of a picturesque fishing village,
with streets of white houses and colourful boats which, after a
day at sea, congregate around the old fishing market. Book Portugal
car hire in Alvor today
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Alvor
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