| The largest inland town in the Algarve, Loulé is a busy market town and capital of the largest borough in the region. The town is perhaps most renowned for its Saturday morning Gypsy market where every week one can find a rich variety of locally produced fare, including live chickens and rabbits, figs, olives, citrus-fruits and an assortment of local craftwork, a long standing tradition in these parts. |
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| Additionally, Loulé has a good, modern shopping centre and a variety of restaurants. |
| As far as sightseeing goes, Loulé as the former Islamic town of “Al’Ulya” still retains its Moorish fortifications, with castle and battlement walls. In addition there is the Igreja Matriz -the parish church built in 1280, the Capela das Almas (Chapel of Souls) whose interior is completely covered with traditional Portuguese tile-work (azulejos) and the 17th century Capela de Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Chapel of Our Lady of the Conception). |
| Not far from Loulé are the runs of an Augustinian convent, Convento da Graça, the most important (or at any rate the richest) religious building in the area. |
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