Roman treasures

As important historical legacies proving the presence of the Romans in the Algarve, the Milreu Ruins, a few kilometres from Faro near Estói, and the archaeological site Cerro da Vila in Vilamoura are true visits back in time, well worth exploring.

The imposing Milreu Ruins, now a national monument, reveal what remains of a once luxurious country villa, the owners of which converted to Christianity in the 6^th Century.

Today, the Casa Rural das Ruínas (the Country House of the Ruins) has become an interpretive centre depicting Roman daily life in the Algarve.  The archaeological complex is made up of a manor house, agricultural installations, a wine press, baths and a temple devoted to water activities.

The ruins of another luxurious Roman villa lie in the heart of cosmopolitan Vilamoura complete with baths, hot springs, and salt water fish tanks dating back to the 1^st Century.

The Interpretive centre of the Roman ruins of the Cerro da Vila allows visitors to explore daily life of these inhabitants of ancient Algarve, the complex of granaries from the Islamic period, the foundations of a mausoleum and the Port area of the Roman period.