Alte Village Fountains

Historic Site

Alte sits in a valley of the Serra do Caldeirao, roughly 25 kilometres north of Albufeira, and is often described as one of the most typical villages in the Algarve. Its whitewashed houses, decorated chimneys and narrow cobbled streets have remained largely unchanged for generations, and the village has resisted the development pressures that transformed the coastline below.

The Fontes de Alte, a pair of natural springs at the eastern edge of the village, form the centrepiece of a small riverside park. The Fonte Pequena and Fonte Grande have provided fresh water to the settlement for centuries, and the stone washing tanks where women once scrubbed laundry by hand survive in working condition. The springs feed a small stream that runs through the village, shaded by plane trees and fig trees, creating a green corridor through the otherwise dry landscape.

The area around the springs has been landscaped into a recreational park with picnic tables, a playground and a paddling pool fed by spring water. On summer weekends, Portuguese families from the coast drive up to escape the heat, and the park fills with the sounds of splashing children and sizzling barbecues.

Alte's church, the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Assuncao, dates from the thirteenth century and contains notable sixteenth-century azulejo panels. The village's traditional architecture features the ornamental chimneys that are a hallmark of Algarvian domestic building, each one individually designed and elaborately decorated. A craft centre near the church sells locally made pottery, basketwork and embroidery. The village hosts a traditional fair in January and lively festas throughout the summer.