TYPICAL HOUSES

With its unique characteristics, traditional Algarve architecture shows marked Arab influence, reflecting the history, the popular taste and specific necessities of the people of this region. Beautiful and picturesque, the typical houses of the Algarve have decorated chimneys, colourful parapets, cool terraces and whitewashed walls. Although square whitewashed houses are common all over the region, there are exceptions to meet the specific conditions of the Algarve climate, which enrich its built heritage. A case in point are the hipped roofs, predominant in Tavira and Faro, the mills, both wind and tidal, and the water devices that are an important legacy in the history of the Algarve region.