The archaeological site of Cerro da Vila is located on a smooth elevation (6m high), on the eastern shore of the Ribeira de Quarteira, 500m away from the coast line and at 2km to the west of the old fishing village of Quarteira, being currently surrounded by the tourist urban area of Vilamoura. The various archaeological works allowed to identify structural and artefact traces of an imposing Roman villa, with several stages of construction and occupation, chronologically framed between the 1st century BC and the 7th century AD (Roman period/ Late Antiquity), as well as materials framed in the 8th century and the beginning of the 10th century AD (Islamic Medieval period). The most imposing residential structures of this villa are located in the highest areas of the elevation, namely the house (domus), arranged around a peristilum, with a tank at the centre, multiple compartments, some of which paved with mosaics, and a private thermal building. This residential cluster shows several stages of construction/refurbishing, reaching its monumental proportions in the 3rd - 4th-centuries AD. On the shores of the lagoon (western area), traces of a roman structure resembling a port have been identified, which attests to the navigability of this river and the importance of the maritime resources, as well as a large thermal building that experienced an extensive use. In the eastern vicinity of this thermal complex, the functional structures of the villa were located, namely several compartments with tanks for the elaboration of fish products and (purple) dyes for fabric colouration, as well as smaller residential areas destined to workers, servants and slaves. The Cerro da Vila has several sepulchral areas that display the deep religious and ritual transformations lived between the Roman period/Late Antiquity. East of the villa, two mausoleums destined to the owner's family were identified, one of them like a temple (similar to the one found on the Roman villa of Milreu), with niches for the placement of funeral urns, used between the 2nd - 3rd centuries AD. The funeral area for the remainder of the community was located to the northeast, presenting simple graves, with different shapes and absent of artefacts, in operation until the 4th/5th-centuries. During Visigothic times (5th - 6th century), changes occurred in the necropolis area, placing it closer to the villa, overlapping previous industrial structures. From the Islamic Medieval period, traces of domestic dwellings with rectangular shape are noticeable, possessing an interior courtyard, with features typical of the rural areas of Al-Andalus, some silos and an abundant and diverse set of materials, namely ceramics vessels. Inside one of the silos, a monetary treasure chronologically framed in the 9th - 10th century was discovered, showing evidence of both the prosperity of this nucleus and the political instability of the territory.

The archaeological site has an on-site interpretive center, with a signposted visit trail and information leaflet available. Ticket purchase on site. The site is integrated in the Archaeological Itineraries of Alentejo and Algarve.

Entrance with admission ticket

Todos os dias: das 09h30 às 12h30 e das 14h00 às 18h00.

Street View