As you approach the road curve, nothing seems to indicate that you are about to enter one of the most unique villages of the Algarve coast. Small at the scale of mass tourism, but wide in what offers the visit, this village holds memories of ancient civilizations, flavors that cross centuries and landscapes that inspired writers.
We talked about Cacela Velha, a village located in the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António, right on the edge of Ria Formosa. The village, referred to in times such as Qast’Alla, was conquered by the Arabs in the eighth century and went to Christian rule in 1240, remaining for more than five centuries under the jurisdiction of the ancient Ossóba, now known as Faro. According to the Oliraf blog, it was one of the first urban nuclei in the far southeast of the current Algarve territory.
The streets with the name of poets
The urban layout is reduced, but marked by an unusual detail: the streets have names of poets who wrote about Cacela or were inspired by it. According to the same source, names, such as Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, Eugénio de Andrade and the Andalusino poet Abû al -‘abdarî, inhabit the toponymic plates of the village.
The white house, with traditional algarve stroke, has been unchanged for decades. The village can be traveled in 15 minutes, but visitors are encouraged to stay longer.
As reported by Algarve Portugal Tourism, it is worth taking a long time for the Mother Church, built in 1583 and rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake. Its Renaissance portal resists one of the few original elements, the work of the same architect of the Church of Tavira Mercy.
Fortaleza with military past
In the back of the Church, the Fortress of Cacela is built, built in 1770 on traces of an ancient Mouro Castle. It writes the same source as the structure today a post of the Republican National Guard and is not accessible to the public.
Ria Formosa at the table
Despite the reduced dimension, Velha Cacela has also become a gastronomic destination. The home of the church, located next to the adro, is an example of this. According to Timeout, the opening of the space was in doubt in the summer of 2023, but the works were completed and the service resumed. Since then, oysters remain the most sought after dish. The owner, Patrício Correia, guarantees that 120 kilos per day are sold.
We recommend:
The restaurant does not accept reservations and as it is ‘tradition’ oysters in old Cacela after a beach day, you should have some waiting time in line to taste this mollusk.
According to the same source, the snacks do not run out in the oysters (16.80 €/12 units). The clams (21 €/300g) and cooked prawns (17.50 €/250g) are also among the favorites, in a terrace environment where there are no marked places and table sharing becomes frequent.
Poetry, landscape and silence
It should be noted that poet IBN Darraj al-Qastalli, born on this land in 958, celebrated himself as one of the central figures of the Caliphate Omaid. Adds the Blog Oliraf that the sound of the ocean still packs the village, as a constant musical background to poetry recorded on the walls.
Old Cacela offers a contrast with other zones of the Algarve. As explained by, there are no hotels or large enterprises. There are some houses, traces of an old factory, and a reduced community of residents.
Culture on the bank of the ria
The natural framing of the village, between the blue of the Ria and the white of the houses, becomes the scene of informal cultural meetings. Although there are no cultural centers themselves, the elements of the landscape and heritage act as a living scenario for a story that is still written.
A village of margins and meetings
Situated between the sea and the mountain, between the Islamic and the Christian, between tradition and survival, an old Cacela is an example of how a place can contain multiple layers of time and identity.
Also read:
