Driving around Portugal you will quickly notice the number of signs advertising castles in the nearby small towns. With its long history or exploration and invasion, these protected battlements were a vital part of Portuguese history. It seemed at times like there were castles everywhere, so we decided to check one out in the southern town of Silves.

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Located just 20 minutes north of our accommodations in Carvoeiro, we checked out the town and castle in the afternoon on our way to our last accommodations near the border with Spain. Built on a hill, we drove up the narrow streets and parked close to the castle.

A national monument since 1910, the earliest known reference to the fort dates back to the 10th century, when the fort was built by the a Moorish caliphate shortly after their conquest of Portugal. Before that, forts had been built there by Visigoths and Romans, giving it a long history as a strategic location.

There was a rumour that the Moors had left great treasure behind when they left. Dogs were sent down into one of the cisterns (water storage) to find it but they never returned.

Heavily damaged by the 1755 earthquake absorbed by the growing city around it, the solid defense was made of military mudstone, a mixture of clay, gravel, sand and lime and with red sandstone giving it its reddish hue.

Originally constructed in the 12th or 13th century, this water storage facility held 1.3 million litres (343,000 gallons) of water and was used by the town of Silves until the 1980s.

After spending an hour at the castle, we headed down the streets to explore the old town. It was quiet on the day we visited, which was shortly after New Year’s.

One of the main Gothic monuments in the Algarve, Silves Cathedral was built over a mosque which existed during the Moorish rule of the Iberian Peninsula. The original building was later mostly restructured and converted into a Catholic cathedral after the Reconquista.

Located right next to the old city gate was a small cafe. It was run by a friendly woman from Prague who moved to Silves after visiting and deciding to stay. We soaked up the peaceful atmosphere for awhile.

Two espressos and two cappuccinos each only 1.25 each and the two scones we bought were 1.50 euros each. It was a great deal sitting next to the medieval wall, watching the people go by and spending only 8 euros for everything!

Silves was a nice town, and we didn’t even get a chance to see the modern part of it as it was late afternoon and we still had to drive to our last accommodations near the border. One of the charms of Portugal are the different castles found throughout the country, and if you can get out of the cities they are well worth visiting.