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Milreu - Roman Site

The Roman Ruins of Mirely are remnants of a luxurious Roman villa from the 1st Century. Later, on the 3rd Century, the place went The Roman ruins of Milreu (Portuguese: Ruinas Romanas de Milreu) are the remains of an important Roman villa rustica located in the civil parish of Estói in the municipality of Faro, Portugal, classified as a Monumento Nacional (National Monument). The Milreu ruins constitute the most prominent and well preserved evidence of Roman presence in the Algarve. They are mainly composed of the remnants of a once luxurious villa with annexed thermae and several surrounding buildings, including a temple, mausoleum and industrial and commercial structures. The archaeological site still preserves part of the once exuberant mosaics (mostly maritime motifs) that decorated the floor and walls of the villa. A 16th century house is also located in the area, alongside an interpretation centre.

Old Well

At this point, if you look to the left (assuming you started the tour at Milreu Roman Ruins) you will be able to spot, over the wall, an old well equiped with an ancient technology to help bring up the water. This system was brought by the Muslims who occupied these lands from the early 8th Century to the middle 13th Century.

Cemetery

A cemetery tells the story of a community, a people, sometimes a nation. In Estoi the local cemetery is open to visitors every day. Oldest tombs are from the early 20th century and there are plenty of details to observe.

Igreja de São Martinho de Estoi

This church was in the middle 16th Century on the spot where an old medieval hermitage existed. The structure of the temple that we can visit these days remains although the damage caused by the earthquake of 1755 inspired a renovation of the main facade, which adopted the Neoclassical style, directed by the Italian arquitect Francisco Xavier Fabri. The works were ordered by the bishop of Faro, D. Francisco Gomes de Avelar. The temple has three naves and four bays, without a transept, presenting a single wooden roof for all the naves. It contains a pulpit made of local marble, a gilded silver monstrance from the 17th century, and several sacred statues from the centuries. Attached to the church is a bell tower with a clock.The church is seldom open but it can be visited on Sundays mornings when a mass service occurs.

Gardens of the Palace

The gardens of the palace are run by the local parish and are open to the public everyday except Sundays. They also close when there are events taking place, which happens mostly often on Saturdays during the Summer. A visit to the gardens - don't expect much as "gardens" though - will offer great views of the palace itself and some support structures, like the gazebos built on the corners of the property perimeter.

Barroca Stairs

Pharmacy Ossonoba

Named after the Roman designation for Faro, this was the first pharmacy in the village and one of its most charming buildings. It was built by David António de Brito in the late 19th century. Its architecture it's considered Late Romantic. In this building, with a rectangular plan, the stonework on the facades and cast iron works stand out. The pharmacy opened in 1936 and it has been serving the community since then.

Historical core of the village

This square is the historical core of the village. Around it you will find one of the most genuine cafes in the village as well as the pharmacy, a few beautiful residential houses and the former market, which is now hosts the post office, the office of the parish, the fish shop and a vegetables and fruits shop. Next to the former market there is a house which used to be the police station (until the early 70's) and in which the community cultural and sports club Os Jograis had it's headquarters from 1978. Oh, and the the village's butchery is around the corner. This - together with the square in front of the church - is the main assembly spot for the community. Cellebrations and festivals take place here. Like the commemoration of the saints (taking place in June). Note the underground stream, which is visible (protected with some metal frame).

Lavadouro

The communal wash house was traditionally aa gathering point for the female community of any village in Portugal. There, women would talk about everything which would matter. Arranging marriages, discussing family issues, debating community conflicts and, of ourse, gossiping.This wash house was built in 1890, on the spot where a spring would provide fresh water to the inhabitants of Estoi. The fountain around the corner was built by then, as well as a place for the beasts to drink water and several washing station in the wash house. In 2011 the local parish proceeded with renovation works and what we can see now is the result of such investment. In a plate we can read the names of some of the women who took the job of washing for the community.

Palace Entrance

Capela

Cinema Ossónoba

This is a vintage movie theater. It was inaugurated in 1950. The man who was responsible for the construction of this important center of culture - if you think about a tiny Portuguese village in the early 50's - was José Jesus Zeferino. He was born in a family of farmers, who moved to Argentine while he was a child. So, José grew up in Buenos Aires and was inspired by the vivid cultural scene of the Argentinian capital. Bringing a bit of that to his home village became a dream, which ended up becoming realidty in 1950.In that decade the movie theater became the center of social life in Estoi. But everything comes to an end and slowly the interest in Cinema Ossónoba fell. It eventually closed and it was in 2009 that the municipality reopen the space. However, it's seldom used for some live performances and it hosts a couple of dancing classes. No movies there.By the way, Ossónoba was the Roman name to Faro.