Ayamonte
Ayamonte
AYAMONTE, town of 17.263 inhabitans in the year 2004, with a surface of 14.129 hectares, situated sounth-western of Huelva province, head of the Judicial Party, and joined to Portugal through Guadiana river mouth. The source of its name is not very clear yet.
It counts with Phoenician, Greek ans people from Tartessus trace. Over the Roma origin castle, the Arabians built a fortress. In sixties, these ruins were demolished because of their bad conditions, to built lately a Parador.
It was first Castilian an then Portuguese until 1335, when bacame a member of the Niebla County and of Ayamonte Marquesado afterwards. In 1664, got the status of town, granted by Felipe IV.
The main architectural mon uments are: The San Salvador Church, built over the ruins of a mosque in 15th century, located in the Villa Neighbourhood. The San Francisco Church, a 16th century old monastery with mudeajr style, the 16th century San Sebastian Chapel, wich is a combination of mudejar and gothic style, and further on, in 17th and 18th century, the Santa Calra Monastery and Las Angustias Chapel are built. Besides, it is to stand out Marquis of Ayamonte Palace, wich is nowadays the workshopo and museum of the famous painter Florencia Aguilera and there is also the Casa Grande used for cultural events.
The basis of its Economy has been Agriculture, Fishing and Commerce consecutively but nowadays the Torurism industry is the main activity.
Its relationship with the adjacent Poruguese village of Vila Real de Santo Antonio has been always very fluent, and lately due to a ferry service which combines both downtowns, but from 1992, with the construction of the brodge that joints the two borders, this relationship becomes stronger.
The town developes a very wide cultural life and it is to higlight the amount of painters, writers and poets who were born here.
The activity programme last almost all the year but standing out the Music Festival in August, the town festivities in September, the Carnival and the Holy Week.
Apart from that, you have to add its magnificent beaches, the tides that are always renovating the shores, the dunes, the kindness of the weather, the gastronomy, make the visitor to wish the return. It helps a very modern hotel infrastructure, two marinas, a golf course, several football pitches and athletics tracks which forecast a great future in the difficult and competitive Tourism industry country for this town.
How to get there
You can get to Ayamonte through two roads, both of them highways. The A-49 that form Sevilla reaches out to the bridge. There are two exits, one in the 127 kilometre and another one in the 131 kilometre, that is the last exit in Spanish land.
On the Portuguese side you get trough the A-22 which covers all the Algarve and the A-1 runs into it coming from the north of the adjacent country. That wary arriving, the exit appears just after crossing the bridge.
There are also two possibilities by air. From Seville airport, a 16 kilometres baypass leads you to the start A-49 without introducing you in the traffic of the Andalusian capital
From the Faro airport, you are 55 kilometres away from Ayamonte through the highway.
The closest, train station in the Spanish side is located in Huelva, 55 kilometres away, while in the Portuguese side is situated in the near Vila Real de Santo Antonio.