Location Description:
Alcantarilha is a small village located on a small hill, at about 3km distance inland from the much developed and frequented beach resort of Armação de Pêra.
This village presents vestiges of remote human occupancy and its location on the top of a hill made a perfect strategic defensive place, as it is visible by the 17th century walls and what is left of the Castle.
Alcantarilha has a Moorish origin, as it was first named as “Al-Qântara“, meaning “bridge“ and it was later changed to Alcantarilha, an abbreviation for 'Little Bridge'. The stones for the bridge came from the battlements that were built in the 16th century as a protection against pirate attacks.
