Written on : 27 September 2019 By : Emma Di Gesaro
Push through doors of the past and discover the Algarve legends and let it tell you the fantastic stories that have built its most famous places. It is truly something magical to experience during your stay. From the origin of Praia da Rocha to the legend that thrilled a small fishing village - this region of southern Portugal will no longer have any secrets for you!
Make way for a trip back in time for an unforgettable cultural stay.
The legend of a small fishing village
Olhao, a small fishing village located only a few kilometres from Faro is home to the legend of Moura Floripes, a legend that still marks the village inhabitants today. He thought that one evening, a drunk man named Zé fell asleep at the site of "Moinho do Sobrado" near a water mill and a woman dressed in white approached him and stroked his face. Sometime later Zé took his friend Juliao to the mill. Moura Floripes, the woman dressed in white, approached the two men and told them that she was trapped by an enchantment. Juliao, saddened by this, asked her how to extinguish this enchantment. Moura Floripes told him that the only way to lift the enchantment was for a man to embrace her by the river, cut his arm at the level of his heart, then cross the ocean with two candles all the way to Africa without them dying. Once complete, he must then marry her.
Some of the older Olhao residents believed this legend so much that they said that Floripes appeared in the city during the day, where she always paid for her purchases with a gold coin and disappeared without waiting for her change. Today, when someone does not take their change when making a purchase, they are told "You're like Floripes, you don't want your change!
Once upon a time, there were two giants of the Sea and Mountain who lived in perfect harmony. Thus was until the day a mermaid arrived... Her charm and enchanting songs caused the two giants to fall in love with her, who wanted her each for themselves, causing a terrible battle for the siren to broke out.
The ferocious sea created huge waves, and the rocks mad with anger became even bigger. The mermaid, who was also madly in love with the Sea and the Mountains, could not decide what to do. All of a sudden, she turned into fine golden sand in order to spend its life with the two giants. It is now said the landscape was transformed by this battle for love and formed the Praia da Rocha, located just outside Portimao and one of the most famous in the Algarve.
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