Porches is a small village in the central Algarve, set back a few kilometres from the coast between Lagoa and Armação de Pêra. It is quiet and unhurried in the way that inland Algarve villages tend to be — the resort energy of the coast does not quite reach this far.
The village is best known for its pottery. Porches Pottery, established in the 1960s, helped revive the traditional hand-painted faience of the Algarve and became an early meeting point between the craft tradition and the tourist economy that was transforming the coast. Colourful plates, bowls, and tiles painted in blue, white, and yellow are the signature products, and the workshop still operates today.
The village has a handful of restaurants serving traditional Algarvian food. Restaurante Porches Velho, housed in a 200-year-old wine cellar, is the most established — good Portuguese cooking with regional dishes, open for lunch and dinner, main courses from around 13 euros (Rua da Praça 8400, tel: 282 381 692).