The modernist architecture – strict, sharp, punctuated by flat roofs and sloping angles – attracts attention. Faro has more than 500 of these mid-century buildings, the highest concentration in southern Europe. Perversely, it’s only now that the curious are taking note. From looming, Rio-style high-rises clad in geometric scallops to modernist villas, the structural clarity and sheer chutzpah they share are catnip for the modern enthusiast.
In the early 1950s, having made their money in South America, a group of Portuguese architects led by Algarvian Manuel Gomes da Costa returned home ready to confront political values and reject outmoded ideas. Inspired by the work of Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright and Oscar Niemeyer, they were tasked with breathing new life into the region, and in that sense their take on modernism – the “South Modern” style – did much to address Faro’s lack of character.
For easy reference, and it’s a bit of a push, you could call it the Palm Springs of Portugal, although the buildings here retain an undeniably unique flavour. Gomes da Costa is known for a style of tropical futurism that pitted nature against the elements in truly progressive ways. His Brazilian-inspired cobogós are latticed slabs of brutal concrete, designed to cool a facade and filter light into shadowy abstraction. Everything he created celebrates the sun in some shape or form, so it’s slightly ironic that they’re now drawing people off the beaches and on to the streets.
On Rua Emiliano Costa or Rua dos Bombeiros Portugueses, in what’s known as the South Modern residential area, mid-century houses retain their original features but are living, breathing spaces. If someone leans over a geometric-patterned balcony, they may well offer an impromptu invitation to take a look inside. The vibe is South American in spirit, laid-back to the point of inertia, and refreshingly low-key.
Given the renewed interest in Faro’s buildings, it’s not surprising that like-minded creatives have since converged, launching a clutch of restaurants and watering holes that feel simpático to this new/old landscape. Bago’sdark, enveloping interior, lined with narrow black shelves of Portugal’s finest wines, is a good starting point. This is the spot where English professors from Faro’s University of Algarve come to mark PhDs over a glass of decent Douro, where people buy a whole bottle for themselves, without fear of sulphites or shame.
