Fort of São João do Arade
The Fort of São João do Arade, sometimes referred to as the Castle of Arade, is a medieval fortification situated in the civil parish of Ferragudo in the Portuguese Algarve municipality of Lagoa.
The Fort of São João do Arade
The oceanfront façade of the Fort of São João de Arade, showing the rock foundation on which it was built
The multi-tiered battlements and barbicans, as seen from Praia Grande beach
The front facade of the tiered castle of Arade, as seen from Portimão
Ferragudo is a Portuguese civil parish at the western border of the municipality of Lagoa. The population in 2011 was 1,973, in an area of 5.41 km2. Ferragudo serves mainly as a bedroom community for its much larger neighbour, the city of Portimão; its residents routinely travel across the Arade River to work in the neighboring municipality.
The centre of Ferragudo, seen from across the Arade River
The Fort of São João do Arade, constructed in the 16th–17th century to protect the coast from pirates and privateers
The Praia Grande beach, showing the expansive white sands that make the area popular with locals and tourists