Rota da Laranja or Orange Tree Route, March 03, 2023

Today we are doing more driving than walking as we are going into the heart of the orange growing region of the Algarve.  The Algarve orange was brought here from China and Iran by Portuguese navigators in the 16th century.  The word "porteghal" means orange (fruit) in Persian and some countries named this fruit after Portugal, such as Romania ("portocaja), Bulgaria and Turkey ("portukal") and Greece ("portukali").  

At the edge of the Orange Tree Route lies the attractive market town of Loule and since it was such a lovely warm day (19c) we parked the car and strolled around old town.  The Moorish looking building is their indoor market, which is usually teeming with shoppers in the morning.  We arrived at 11:30 just as everyone was packing up their stalls, so not that much to see.    

 This remaining Castle at Loule would have formed the northwestern corner of the city walls. The castle dates back to the reconquest from the Moors in 1249.  Its remarkably good condition is due to the extensive restoration work done during the 19th century. 

From Loule we headed for Silves which took us through valleys of orange groves.  Harvesting here starts in November and lasts until March.   Even though oranges are grown all over the country, the sweet and juicy oranges grown in the Algarve have a unique taste.  This is due to the "just right" characteristics of the soil, the amount of sun, and the almost absence of frost.  83% of the Portuguese orange groves are located in the Algarve and 60% of these are found in the area of Silves, which has been declared the "Capital of the Orange" and is at the heart of the Orange Tree Route.   

Before heading into Silves we stopped at the roadside to take this photo showing its whitewashed Roman bridge (the current bridge is from the 15th century) crossing the Arade river.  At the top on the left is the Cathedral of Silves and on the right is the Moorish Castle.      
  

Silves was the capital of the Moorish Kingdom of Al-Gharb (Algarve) until the Portuguese Christians conquered the area in 1242.  We parked our car and made our way through old town up towards the Moorish Castle.  The current walls were built by the Moors in the 12th & 13th centuries and is considered the most well preserved castle in the Algarve. 

The old town of Silves is very well preserved and was a delight to walk around its narrow, cobbled stoned streets as we headed up towards the castle,

As we made our way up the last hill towards the castle we spotted these traditional houses that were built into the front of the protective castle walls.  A good way to save a bit of money on construction. 

The Cathedral of Silves was built on the foundations of a mosque and was converted and expanded after the Christian conquest in 1242 but took until 1470 to be completed.  It was badly damaged in the 1755 earthquake but quickly repaired with the Bell Tower being added at that time.  It is considered to be the main Gothic monument in the Algarve and classified as a National Monument.








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