VISITING FARO Faro’s old town consists of three distinct areas - Vila-Adentro, Mouraria and Bairro Ribeirinho - each of which marks a separate stage in the city’s development from the Christian reconquest to the town plan that ultimately took shape in the 17th and 18th centuries. A visit to Vila Adentro is not complete without a walk through the streets that huddle in the shade of the city walls, among the whitewashed houses, the arches that link the buildings and the fine homes of the Cortes and Sarria families, of Captain Manuel de Oliveira and José Maria Assis. MOURARIA The Manuel Bivar Gardens are the site of the Praça da Rainha (Queen’s Square), created at the end of the 15th century, and an elegant bandstand dating from the end of the 19th century: they are like a cool reception room for visitors to the city. After seeing the gardens it is time to wander around the Mouraria, the old Moorish quarter. A tour of the Bairro Ribeirinho must include a walk around the narrow streets where façades with decorative stonework can be seen here and there, as well as the pyramidal “tesoura” roofs. ISLANDS .Ilha de Faro .Ilha Deserta .Ilha da Culatra .Farol