In Porto, don’t miss the exhibition ‘Joan Miró: Materiality and Metamorphosis’ at Casa de Serralves

Don’t miss the exhibition ‘Joan Miró: Materiality and Metamorphosis’ at Casa de Serralves (Porto), that presents to the public for the first time the works acquired by the Portuguese State untill the 28th of January 2017.

The exhibition covers a six-decade period in Joan Mirós's career - from 1924 to 1981. It focuses in particular on the transformation of pictorial languages that the Catalan artist first developed in the mid-1920s. The exhibition considers his artistic metamorphoses across the mediums of drawing, painting, collage and work in tapestry.

Miró’s visual thinking and the ways in which he negotiates between optical and tactile modes of sensation is examined in detail, as are the artist’s working processes.

The exhibition comprises around 80 works by Joan Miró from the collection of 85 works, most of which have never previously been seen by the general public, including six of his paintings on masonite produced in 1936 and six "sobreteixims" (tapestries) of 1973. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue with a lead essay by the curator.

This important exhibition is curated by Robert Lubar Messeri, a leading world expert in Miró's work. Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira will be responsible for the exhibition’s architectural design.

Find more information at:
- http://www.serralves.pt/
- http://www.serralves.pt/exhibition
- https://www.visitportugal.com/joan-miro-materiality-and-metamorphosis

Cycling: Algarve Granfondo

If you enjoy cycling and don't like to miss out on a challenge, take part in the Algarve Granfondo, a competition that travels through the beautiful countryside of the Algarve in February 19th, 2017. http://voltaaoalgarve.com/

Regarded as one of the best early-season cycling challenges, the Algarve Granfondo is held on the final day of the Volta ao Algarve road cycling competition (19th February), coinciding with the final stage. 

The Algarve Granfondo is open to everyone who wants to take part; participants can choose between three options depending on their stamina and physical preparation – the Granfondo (140 km), the Mediofondo (83 km) and the Minifondo (50 km).

The start will be in the city centre of Loulé at 8.30 a.m., at the same place from where the peleton of international stars contesting the Volta ao Algarve will set off some hours later. The finish will be at the iconic Loulé cycling track, in time for the participants to go up to the Alto do Malhão, where the Volta ao Algarve will come to an end.

And, if you want to watch the other stages of the Volta ao Algarve, which travels through the whole region over five days (between 15th and 19th February), you should be aware that this competition comprises five stages: the first between Lagos and Albufeira (163 km), the second between Lagoa and Alto da Fóia (198 km), the third in the Sagres area (18 km), the fourth between São Brás de Alportel and Tavira (194 km) and the final one between Almodôvar and Malhão (Loulé), covering about 169 km. 

Find more information at:
- http://voltaaoalgarve.com/
- https://www.facebook.com/algarvegranfondo
- https://twitter.com/valgarve2017
- https://www.visitportugal.com/Algarve granfondo_cycling
- https://www.visitportugal.com/cycling-and-walking-algarve

For the third year in a row, Portugal‬ considered the World's Best Golf Destination for 2016

For the third year in a row, ‪‎Portugal takes the title of World's Best Golf Destination in the 3rd Annual World Golf Awards ceremony that took place last Saturday 12th November in the Conrad Algarve Hotel.

Portugal also won the title of Europe's Best Golf Destination 2016 , after winning the same award in 2015 and 2014 , and in the Word Travel Awards for Europe in 2013 the title of Europe's Leading Golf Destination.

World Golf Awards serves to celebrate and reward excellence in golf tourism, world class courses and golf destinations through their annual awards programme .World Golf Awards™ is part of World Travel Awards.

Find more information at:
- http://worldgolfawards.com/
- https://www.facebook.com/worldgolfawards
- https://twitter.com/WorldGolfAwards
- https://www.visitportugal.com/Golf

- https://www.visitportugal.com/Best of Portugal 

Source: Word Golf Awards

Disabled Golfers join in at Portugal Masters

Crowds at the Algarve’s showcase Portugal Masters tournament this week (October 20-23) will be viewing some of Europe’s finest professional golfers in action, plus they are now set to witness a feast of disability golf on the Saturday.

Following the recent announcement that the European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA) has become the event’s Official Charity, a special programme of activities has been laid on, including hour-long demonstration and clinic sessions by elite disabled golfers on the practice range and putting greens on Saturday afternoon.

These sessions will be followed by six specially-invited elite disabled players – and two local junior golfers – forming two fourballs to play the 18th hole at the Oceânico Victoria course immediately following the final professional group of the day. Among the six, is famed leg amputee Manuel de los Santos from The Dominican Republic, who plays off a handicap of four.

The funds raised during the Portugal Masters will allow EDGA to run pilot projects in Portugal with the aim of making golf more accessible for all. This will include coaches receiving training on teaching golf to children with disabilities, allowing them to work across Portugal and visit rehabilitation centres and disability associations to introduce golf to youngsters.

Both the Algarve and the Portuguese Tourism Board are delighted that disability golf will be showcased in such a prominent way during the hosting of Portugal’s most prestigious professional golf event.

A spokesperson said: “These people are amazing, and we are sure the crowds this weekend will be hugely impressed with the quality of golf and the challenges they have overcome. It backs up our ethos of our ‘golf4all’ project, which strives to make the game more accessible to all.

“A warm thank you to all your donations and we very much look forward to seeing everyone at the Portugal Masters”

Find more information at:
- http://golf.algarvepromotion.pt/
- http://algarvepromotion.pt/Golf
- http://www.visitgolfalgarve50years.com/
- https://www.facebook.com/visitgolfalgarve
- http://instagram.com/visitgolfalgarve
- https://twitter.com/vstgolfalgarve
- https://www.visitportugal.com/golf
- https://www.visitportugal.com/Portugal Masters
- https://www.visitportugal.com/Algarve-best-golfing-destination

Source: ATA - Associação Turismo do Algarve

Birds of the Algarve

A region of pure, unspoilt nature, the Algarve has some excellent landscapes in which to watch the region’s birdlife.

Come and see the flamingos, spoonbills and purple swamphens that inhabit the Ria Formosa Natural Park. The wetlands of this protected environment contain more than 100 species of bird. The reed beds have the largest nesting colony of purple herons in the region and an important population of purple swamphens.

In the lagoon formed by the Ria, keep your eyes peeled for some beautiful examples of grey herons, bee-eaters, great reed warblers and marsh harriers.Take a trip to the Costa Vicentina, where at the headland of Cabo Sardão, you’ll be able to observe the world’s last population of white storks, nesting in the cliffs in the abandoned nests of ospreys.

You can see ospreys themselves in the Ria do Alvor (Mexilhoeira Grande). The species shares this protected area of the Algarve with storks, cormorants and peregrine falcons, amongst many other elegant birds.

Find more Information at:
- https://www.visitportugal.com/Birdwatching
- https://www.visitportugal.com/Birds of the Algarve
- Birdwatching Algarve Brochure- http://www.birdwatchingsagres.com/
- https://www.facebook.com/birdwatchingfestivalofsagres
- https://www.visitportugal.com/Sagres Birdwatching Festival

Sagres Birdwatching Festival is back in 2016

The 7th edition of the Birdwatching Festival and Nature Activities will be back in 2016.

The event that happens between 30 of September to 5 of October, in Sagres (Vila do Bispo, Algarve) is back to celebrate birds migration and nature. Hundreds of bird lovers are coming from several countries and join in the Southwest corner of Portugal and Europe to look to the sky during these six days.

The festival is focus on birds, but you can find much more related with nature tourism, culture, gastronomy, and is always an opportunity to relax and enjoy the magnificent landscape.

During these six amazing days, the participants have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of activities, for all ages and motivations.

Among the activities related with birdwatching, we highlight the pelagic trips to watch marine birds, the ringing activities and the field trips to watch some species, typical from Sagres. It’s also planned hiking, guided and interpretive tours, short term courses,and dolphins watching. And kids were not forgotten, with special sessions for them.

The programme and the registrations for the activities are already on-line on the website of the Festival. The participants need to select the activities they are interested and send the registration, but don’t wait too long because some of them run out very fast. Some activities are free, others have a special festival price.

The event promoted by the Municipality of Vila do Bispo, with Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds and Almargem Association as partners happens in this period because it’s the high season of autumn migration, when the migratory birds leave our country towards the hot African lands. It’s also celebrated in the weekend the EuroBirdwatch all over Europe.

Sagres is a very special region. Not only is the landscape that surrounds it spectacular, but its biological heritage is unique in Europe. Here we can find a large diversity of habitats: impressive sea cliffs, coastal maquis, farmlands, woodland, sand dunes and the sea itself, between them supporting hundreds of species of fauna and flora. Of particular interest is the number of endemic flora species, the possibility to watch cetaceans and, of course, different species of birds, not only raptors but also passerines and seabirds. It is the birds that are the main attraction of this festival and therefore the programme of activities focuses mostly around them. The event aims to attract participants with differing tastes, expectations and knowledge, making it ideal for families, students, nature lovers and birdwatchers of all levels of experience.

From August to November, this area becomes the country's major migratory corridor for storks, eagles, vultures, hawks and falcons where it is possible to observe almost all of the species of these birds that occur regularly in Portugal, as well as some rarities.
As well as soaring raptors and storks, Sagres is a great place to watch other birds, including many seabirds, steppe species and passerines. Amongst the seabirds, particularly notable is the passage of thousands of Gannets and hundreds of petrels, Cory's Shearwaters) and Balearic Shearwaters. Great Skuas are also commonly seen.

In the words of Adelino Soares, the President of Vila do Bispo Municipality, "the event has been contributing to consolidate Vila do Bispo as an important destination for nature tourism, attracting more and more national and foreign visitors. The investment in this initiative, which takes place in low season, has a positive effect in the remaining months of the year, with tourists to return and take advantage of the services of local businesses partner of the Festival. "

Find more information at:
- http://www.birdwatchingsagres.com/
- https://www.facebook.com/birdwatchingfestivalofsagres
- https://www.visitportugal.com/Sagres Birdwatching Festival
- https://www.visitportugal.com/Birdwatching
- https://www.visitportugal.com/Birds of the Algarve
- Birdwatching Algarve Brochure



Resource: ATA - Algarve Promotion Bureau  

Performing Arts School Chapitô, invited for the first time for the jury of the European Youth Circus 2016 Festival

Teresa Ricou - Teté, stage name - circus artist, is the special guest of the jury of the European Youth Circus 2016 festival in Wiesbaden, Germany, followed by a participation in the International CircusFestival in Auch, France, and ending their trip in Madrid with a meeting at the Circus school of Carampa.

For the first time, a Portuguese artist is invited for the jury in an International Festival of Circus and establishes an important link between these European countries, creating bridges between different performative currents and different artistic visions.

Chapitô students will be represented in these festivals in the month of October, a unique opportunity to observe and applaud their artistic participation, staging in European circles!

The presence of Chapitô in this event means international recognition of the quality of training in circus arts’ that, for the past 25 years, is continued at the Circus School of Chapitô (Professional School of Arts and Crafts). Situated in the old part of Lisbon, near the São Jorge Castle, the circus school has also a restaurant with fantastic city views, and a bar  which opens at night, often staging alternative theater and live music performances.


Find more information at:
- https://www.facebook.com/chapitô
- http://www.chapito.org/