European Heritage Days “fill” Algarve and Baixo Alentejo with culture

An exhibition that shows the perspective of creators from five continents on the Roman Ruins of Milreu, in Estoi (Faro), give new life to “Lenda da Cássima”, through theatre, in Loulé, relive the rural roots in Mexilhoeira Grande (Portimão) or sleep in the Fortaleza de Sagres. The European Heritage Days (JEP), which run from the 22nd to the 24th of September, provide the opportunity to do all of this. There are initiatives all over the Algarve – and Baixo Alentejo – always with the motto “Pessoas, Lugares, Histórias”.

With this theme, the aim is to draw attention to the «importance of the relationship between people, communities, places and their history, showing how heritage and nature intersect in their different expressions – more urban or more rural – and for the need to preserve and enhance this relationship, which is fundamental for the quality of life, for the qualification of the territory and for the reinforcement of identities».

All initiatives proposed in the monuments and even in the museums of the Algarve are free of charge and free participation. On the 24th of September, Saturday, entry is free of charge to all the monuments under the supervision of the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve.

Reservoir:

The municipality of Albufeira will mark the European Heritage Days (JEP) with two initiatives: the walk “(a) Scratching the Heritage” and the exhibition “Urban Sketchers Paderne”.

As for the tour, it will take place on Saturday, the 23rd, at 10:00 am, in Albufeira, with the aim of discovering the city, its nooks and crannies and hidden stories, through the drawing of small features of Albufeira.

The exhibition is shown in the Municipal Museum of Archeology from Albufeira, bringing together drawings and sketches of built and natural heritage, recorded on a walk through the streets and alleys of Paderne.

Castro Marim:

As part of the European Cultural Heritage Days, there is a nature walk in Castro Marim on 24 September, at 9:30 am.

The 6-kilometre route starts at the entrance of the Sapal de Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António Nature Reserve (RNSCMVRSA) and passes through an industrial and an artisanal salt pan, where the salt maker Reinaldo Faísca will show participants the difference between the artisanal exploration, of small butchers, where the salt is collected manually, and the industrial exploration, of great dimensions, where the man's arm was replaced by machines.

«Both constitute habitats fundamental for waterfowl, being used as a resting, feeding and nesting place», says the Chamber of Castro Marim.

The initiative has the collaboration of photographer Agostinho Gomes, who has been interested and dedicated, since the 80s, to the avifauna of the Baixo Guadiana region.

His obvious passion can be seen in the photography exhibition on Natural Heritage, on display at the headquarters of the Natural Reserve, held in partnership with photographers Hugo Esteves and José Carlota. The program also includes viewing a film about RNSCMVRSA.

The Walk for Nature is an initiative of the Castro Marim City Council and the Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation, with the collaboration of the Vila Real de St. António March and Race Center, photographer Agostinho Gomes and salt maker Reinaldo Faísca .

Faro:

As Roman Ruins of Milreu will be the epicenter of the JEP celebrations in Faro. On Friday, September 22, at 17 pm, the emblematic site will host the exhibition “Perspectivas “00º37'05”N 42,73º007º'54”W”, with 13,85 creators from five continents.

This exhibition presents the perspectives of several artists on Milreu. This is a project by Nuno Murta and Carlos Norton, from Associação Fungo Azul. The inauguration will also feature the presentation of the film “O Mundo de Milreu”.

On Sunday, September 24th, the initiative “Do Saber ao Fazer: Roman Bioexperiences in Labor” takes place from 15:00 to 17:30. The project aims to make known the lifestyle of the Romans who inhabited that place, as well as the techniques and scientific concepts they applied.

Therefore, there will be activities such as painting with lime coating, identification of marine resources used by the Romans, processes for the production of ingredients and ointments, with a space for children and young people and a display of regional products.

The project is from the Centro Ciência Viva do Algarve, the University of the Algarve, Barroca e Requinte Turquesa. Participation in this project requires registration via email [email protected].

Lagoon:

In the municipality of Lagoa, the Farol of Alfanzina there will be guided tours on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th of September, from 14:00 to 17:00.

Lagos:

As for the municipality of Lagos, on the days of the European Heritage Days it will be possible to enter any museum space without paying, being able to enjoy the local history, learn more about traditional activities related to natural resources, and even enjoy the natural landscape that a climb to the terrace of the Fort Ponta da Bandeira or a route along the coast provides.

On the 26th and 28th, interested parties can register for thematic visits to the St. Anthony Church, to be held at 10:30 am. as iregistrations are free, but mandatory and limited to: [email protected] or 282 762 301 – providing name and telephone number.

On the 28th, at the same time, the proposal is “to make known, on a route between the Slave Market, the Frente Ribeirinha and Vila Adentro, the village of Lagos in the time of Infante D. Henrique”. Registration is also free, but mandatory and limited to: [email protected] or 961 864 708 – providing name and telephone number.

On the 29th, at 21 pm, the Church of Santo António will once again be the stage for a night of music with the “Duo Tágide”, consisting of soprano Inês Simões and pianist Daniel Godinho, who bring to this monument a repertoire of contemporary composers of the 30th and XNUMXth centuries.

On the evening of the 30th, you will once again have the opportunity to attend another concert of the ancient music cycle “Baroque em Talha Dourada”, at 21 pm at the Igreja de Santo António, also at 30 pm, the result of a partnership between the Municipality and the Academy of Music of Lagos.

Loulé:

Loulé will be one of the Algarve's municipalities with the most initiatives, from archaeological walks to theater based on the legend of the Moorish Cássima.

In a year in which the county exposes at the National Archeology Museum, in Lisbon, the exhibition “Loulé. Territories. Memoirs. Identities” is associated with the celebrations with two guided tours to that exhibition, on Saturday, the 23rd, at 11:00 am and 15:00 pm.

In addition to this, there will be, in Lisbon, also at the National Archeology Museum, a chiseling workshop with the theme “Fire Arts: the Loulé Insignia – Heritage and Nature”, aimed at the general public.

In Loulé, until 23 September, the Municipal Museum will promote a series of “Unlikely Visits” to your reservation. Participants will have the opportunity to get to know one of the places that is generally closed to the public and where there is a wealth of objects that are treated and studied by technicians for later musealization.

These visits are ongoing until the 22nd, at 10:00 am, 11:30 am, 14:00 pm and 15:00 pm, while on the 23rd, Saturday, they take place at 10:00 am and 11:30 am. The maximum number of participants per visit is five people. Entries are free and mandatory through [email protected] or 289 400 885

Also on Friday, September 22, at 18 pm, in the Polyvalent Room of the Museum, Ana Resende and Amândio Viegas will participate in the activity “Conversas com História” (Conversations with History) about the archaeological intervention in a building on Rua Pedro de Freitas. After carrying out archaeological excavations to accompany a particular work that was taking place in the Historic Center of Loulé, vestiges of the defensive system were found that allowed the redefinition of the walls' boundaries within the current urban center. This is the motto for a conversation about the history of the city of Loulé.

The following day, Saturday, 23, at 16:00 pm, at Alcaidaria do Castelo de Loulé, there is “The Castle and the History of Loulé”, which begins with the legend of Moura Cássima by the Teatro Produção de Loulé – Casa da Cultura, followed by a workshop for children, at 16:15 pm. 45 minutes later, the lecture “The Castle and the History of Loulé” by Luís Palma will begin, followed by a tour of the Historical Center (18:00 p.m.).

This is a project by Almargem – Association for the Defense of the Cultural and Environmental Heritage of the Algarve, with the support of the Municipality of Loulé, and which is part of the “DiVaM” program of the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve.

Saturday, at 10:30 am, is also the day that another Cultural Archeological Walk takes place, after two sold out editions, which this time will take participants to the interior of the vast territory of Loulé, to “Ribeira do Vascão – Where a writing is born”, Near the plum.

Between the embedded valleys and the agricultural lands of the Vascanito and Vascãozinho streams, this walk is dedicated to writing from the Southwest and the Iron Age in the Algarve mountains, visiting three archaeological sites where stelae with this writing have already been found.

Guided by archaeologist Pedro Barros, the tour starts at Casa de Pasto Central da Serra (Ameixial), at 10:30 am.

This activity is also organized by the ESTELA Project and the Ameixial Walking Festival, together with the National Archeology Museum and the Loulé Municipal Museum.

Registration is free and mandatory: [email protected] or 289 400 611. Participants are advised to bring comfortable clothes and shoes, water and food for the picnic.

But Loulé's initiatives are not exhausted here. Old woman will have three celebrations of the Journeys. The first is the literary tour “Cândido Guerreiro”, to be held on the 23rd, at 18 pm. The proposal is to visit that village in the municipality of Loulé, guided by the words and eyes of the poet Cândido Guerreiro.

The “Alte, through the window of time” initiative, on the other hand, aims to revisit the village, through the projection of old photographs, accompanied by the memories of the local people. To find out more about Alte, just go to Fonte Pequena or to the Cândido Guerreiro and Condes de Alte Museum Pole, on Friday 22nd at 14:30 pm.

Odemira:

Odemira also celebrates the JEP, with visits to the FaroXNUMX of Cape Sardão, on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th of September, from 14 pm to 00 pm.

On the 24th there will be a conversation about “Heritage and Nature in the Mira Estuary”, in Vila Nova de Milfontes. The initiative will include the participation of historian António Quaresma and biologist Helena Adão, and is scheduled for 11:30 am, at the Vila Nova de Milfontes wharf. Participation is free.

Portimao:

A Big Mexilhoeira and os Alcalar Megalithic Monuments they will be the stages in Porto for the European Heritage Days.

“Our culture goes out into the street” takes an “entertainment program rich in arts, knowledge and flavors for the whole family”, to Mexilhoeira.

The event, organized by the Portimão Museum and Parish Council Big Mexilhoeira, will take place as always in the Churchyard of the Igreja Matriz and in the streets of the parish, from 14 pm to 00 pm, with a program “which is a real appeal to discover or revisit the arts, knowledge and flavors that have marked the daily life of several generations”, explains the Portimonian autarchy.

«Through an exhibition and conversations with the protagonists of the main activities of a “traditional” rural nature in the parish, it will be possible for visitors to discover» a heritage that cannot be forgotten, he adds.

The highlights will be gastronomy, with bread baked in a wood oven, local sweets, medronho, honey, among other products, as well as handicrafts with the contract, wicker basketwork, cork, atabua chairs and lace , or even agriculture and seafood and beliefs, with meals and prayers.

The exhibition also features small exhibition spaces dedicated to the memories and experiences of the land, such as a traditional cuisine recreated by the cultural, social and environmental association “Grão de Areia”, and a stand dedicated to lime kilns and the tradition of its use in Mexilhoeira.

Traditional games also invite families to play the monkey, the top, the marble, the donkey game or the botica handkerchief.

In the area dedicated to the natural heritage of Mexilhoeira, it will be possible to participate in environmental games with the youngest and get to know better the fauna and flora of the parish. This nucleus will be dynamized by the association “A Rocha”, in collaboration with the biologist of the Municipality of Portimão.

With the collaboration of the nature tourism company donkey, there will also be donkey rides through the streets of Mexilhoeira, to delight the little ones.

In addition to this, there are workshops for kneading bread and agriculture and workshops for earth building, such as mud, ceramic painting with pigments, clay work and also the whitewashing workshop, starting at 17:30 pm, which has as aim to help whitewash a wall in one of the village streets.

To participate in this activity, you must register on the same day, on the stand of lime.

At 15:30 pm, there is the usual guided tour through the streets of Mexilhoeira to discover its history and ways of life, which requires registration to be carried out on the same day, and at 16:30 pm, the musical entertainment begins with the participation of concert artists Lígia and Belinha and the Figueira Folklore Ranch.

Scheduled for 18:30 pm, is one of the new features of this year's program, “Two Fingers of Conversation – Knowledge, a Heritage”, which, according to the theme of the European Heritage Days – “Heritage and Nature”, will consist of a conversation about the wicker basketwork, with the artisan Virgílio Costa, followed by the demonstration of this art.

“Foods of the Earth”, to work from 19 pm onwards, it offers suggestions for dinner with various restaurants and communities in the village (the curve, The workshop, Dream snack bar, Mexilhoeira-Grande Futebol Clube, The Mexilhoeirense Instruction and Recreation Club and the Figueira Folklore Ranch), to have local snacks for 3,5 euros.

At 20:00 pm, the film made by the Museum of Portimão “Mexilhoeira Knowledge and Experiences” will be screened, which will be followed, at 21:30 pm, by one of the highlights of this event: the recreation of the tradition of the corn husking and threshing festival. This activity takes place to the sound of the group “Os Amigos da Figueira”, as well as concertinas from Mexico.

This event has the partnership of local associations, such as “Grão de Areia” and “A Rocha”, Sociedade Recreativa Figueirense, Clube de Instrução e Recreio Mexilhoeirense, Parish Nossa Senhora da Assunção, Santa Casa da Misericórdia da Mexilhoeira Grande, and with the support of the entire community, individuals and merchants, who get involved, participate and actively contribute to the success of this initiative.

Regarding Alcalar Megalithic Monuments, on Friday, September 22, the project “Sons Daqui”, by Pedro Glória, presented by Rizoma Lab – Associação Cultural, takes place between 19:18 (sunset time) and 21:00.

On Friday, September 22, at dusk, as day passes to night on the date of the Autumn Equinox, the Megalithic Monuments of Alcalar open their doors to the population, to observe the farewell of the summer and the change in the season, light and time.

The public is invited to take a tour that reveals another look at this monument and the space that surrounds it, a sound and visual look that transforms the experience with space and builds a bridge between the unchanging past of stones and the present/ technological future, through audiovisual effects in the form of installation/performance, conceived and designed by artist/musician Pedro Glória specifically for this place and for this day.

Produced by Rizoma Lab and Luísa Batista and part of DiVaM, the program for the Promotion and Valorization of Monuments of the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve, the experience will last about two hours, where the public freely enters and leaves the enclosure. the privileged time between 19:18 (sunset time) and 20:02 – official time for the beginning of autumn.

Sao Bras de Alportel:

The Calcadinha Explanatory Center is the focal point of celebrations in São Brás. From 15:00 onwards, there are adventures with “Monte dos Marafados”, donkey rides, handicrafts, dancing, with São Brás dancing, historical snacks, the “Science Qoisas for kids and adults” workshop and the gastronomic demonstration “Sabores do Tempo”.

Admission is free.

Silves:

As for Silves, there will be five initiatives within the scope of the European Heritage Days. To start, on Saturday, the 23rd, from 10:00 am to 18:00 pm, at the Museum of Archeology, images of archaeological works can be seen, with the motto “A villa Roman Court: dynamics of occupation and daily life of a rural population”.

Still in that museum there is, on the same day, from 10:00 am to 13:00 pm, a workshop of paint. «Children and their families will be able to participate in a fresco painting experience», with the «opportunity to make their own colored paints based on lime and natural pigments, and then apply them to a canvas».

For this workshop, participation is free but subject to prior registration. Telephone 282 440 854 and email [email protected] are the contacts of the Cultural Heritage sector of the Municipality of Silves to provide additional information and registration for activities.

As for the “Lojas com História” (History Stores), an initiative that aims to publicize the endangered heritage, on the 22nd, brochures will be available at the Castle, Archeology Museum, Museum of Costume and Traditions, in São Bartolomeu de Messines, Parish Councils and health posts of tourist information.

«This publication presents a survey of the oldest establishments in the municipality that continue to carry out their activity following methodologies that modern times have made to fall into disuse and which are a “Vivo Museum”, remnants of an Algarve from other times in which traditions and needs were different, and where the visitor can experience smells, sounds, textures and even acquire original products always graced by a lot of sympathy», tells the Chamber of Silves.

Altogether there are a dozen and a half establishments, some with open doors since the XNUMXth century or early XNUMXth century, existing all over the county.

Still in Silves, there will be a “Photographic Beat”. In other words: «recording nature, inserted in the urban fabric of the city, making known, through photographic images, how Nature in the city is relevant, in gardens, in the surroundings of monuments, in squares, in the trees that flank the river Arade or even in the pots on a porch». Everything happens on the 23rd, from 10:00 am to 13:00 pm.

The 24 best photographs – which will be selected by a jury to be appointed – will be exhibited in a group exhibition, taking place at the Igreja da Misericórdia in Silves, between the 20th of October and the 15th of January 2018.

Finally, there is the interpretive tour “Sharpening Perspective” in Saint Bartholomew of Messines, on the 28th, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, therefore already outside the JEP days, but still within its scope. The idea is for the participants to have the «opportunity to learn to look at the landscape that surrounds them, from the point of view of a creation of design'.

The route starts with a collection of references and ends with a creative workshop, inspired by elements of the natural and cultural heritage, linked to the local gastronomy.

Tavira:

Em Tavira, will take place, on Saturday 23, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, the walking route “From Land to Sea”, about the cultural, historical and natural heritage around Tavira.

The route “completes history with information about the salt marshes (and their avifauna), the Ria Formosa marsh and the fundamental ecological importance for the local biodiversity”, ending at rat's fort e Arraial Ferreira Neto. 

The meeting place is in the unpaved car park next to the Gran Plaza shopping center roundabout. Registration is mandatory and can be made to 281 326 231. The activity is dependent on weather conditions and subject to a minimum number of participants.

Bishop's Village:

Na Sagres fortress, there is “Fantastic Moments with Heritage: Places Spoken in Common”, a project by Vicentina – Association for the Development of the Southwest, from the 23rd to the 24th of September, Saturday and Sunday, (from 17:00 pm to 9:30 am). The most interesting thing is that the initiative allows those registered to spend the night in this monument, which will be a very different experience.

This is a multidisciplinary project designed for families and integrates a framework "What is this place?" made by archaeologist Rui Parreira, at 17:30 pm, followed by the Tea of ​​5 – Theatrical Reading Group, at 18:30 pm, in a creation by Neusa Dias, Paula Gonçalves, Cristina Chafirovitch, Inês Cardoso and Marta Gorgulho, hosted by the cultural association Rizoma Lab.

In this program, theater texts challenge «to think about the forces and powers of globalization in countries once colonized by Portugal. The text presented will be “O Pagador de Promessas” by Brazilian playwright Dias Gomes», explains the Regional Directorate of Culture.

At 18:30 pm, “O Mundo no Monumento”, a creative expression studio with painting and illustration, will be guided by Sara Glória, aimed at children under 12 years of age.

The “Sabores da Lusofonia” is open at 20:00, but the tasting remains a secret. It is only suggested that participants bring food from land and sea to share.

The Roda da Capoeira will take place between 20:00 and 22:00, promoted by Associação Jogando Capoeira.

This will be the time to learn about the multiple characteristics and wealth of values ​​of Capoeira, today Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and which is one of the greatest symbols of Afro-Brazilian cultural manifestation.

And to end a fantastic evening, nothing better than “Tales from Places around the World”, by Nelda Magalhães, at 22 pm. Sleeping, dreaming, with the right to dawn in the Fortaleza for breakfast and the smell of the sea. This activity includes overnight stays at the monument, upon registration (via the email [email protected]).

As regards Hermitage of Guadeloupe, the Ibero Atlantic music cycle “Jangada de Pedra” will take place on Sunday, the 24th, at 17 pm, with the concert “Mundi | From Baroque to Jazz”.

«João Pedro Cunha (violin) and Zoran Stojanovic (guitar), with established credits in the national and international panorama, propose a truly globalizing program. Starting from the depth and emotion contained in the father Johann Sebastian Bach will culminate in the expansive jazz virtuosity of the Grapelli and Venuti tradition,” says the Regional Directorate of Culture. This is a project of the Academy of Music of Lagos.

In the municipality of Vila do Bispo, there are also guided tours of the FaroXNUMX of Cape St. Vincent, on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th, from 14 pm to 00 pm.

Vila Real de Santo António:

O Farol of Vila Real de Santo António there will be guided tours on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th of September, from 14:00 to 17:00.

There will also be a thematic route, integrated in the cycle of walking tours of landscape interpretation “Passos Contados”, on the 24th of September, from 9:30 am to 16:00 pm, to be held in Santa Rita (Vila Nova de Cacela).

Through contact with artisans in the Lower Guadiana, the idea is “to learn about the ancient uses of various plant materials (dwarf palm, pita, sugarcane, tabua, esparto…) available in the territory”.

For more information about all activities click here