Carvoeiro
Carvoeiro, or more commonly Praia do Carvoeiro, is a Portuguese civil parish/freguesia in Lagoa Municipality, about 5 km south of the city itself (on the Atlantic Ocean), 14.12 km² in area.
Carvoeiro was a traditional, small fishing village surviving on the tuna catches but has, not surprisingly, become an incredibly popular resort with visitors and has developed to keep pace.
This picturesque fishing village, with a long history of settlement, has grown over the last decades into the main tourist area of the concelho. It has a number of fine beaches protected by clifts.
There are traces of Roman habitation and naval activity in the area. There has also been a long history of pirate and enemy military assaults on the coast, and a number of naval battles here, most notably the battle in 1544 between a squadron of ships under D. Pedro da Cunha, and the Turkish corsair (barbary pirate), Xarramet.
Cover photo by Sergei Gussev | Photo by Barry Caruth