Vila Nova de Milfontes is a parish in the Odemira

Odemira

Odemira is a municipality in the Portuguese region of Alentejo with a total area of 1,720.6 km² and a total population of 25,738 inhabitants....

 municipality

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 of Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

. It is cornered between the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 and the Mira River, in the Sudoeste Alentejano and Costa Vicentina Natural Park.

History

The village dates from the year 1468, founded by the King D. João II

John II of Portugal

John II , the Perfect Prince , was the thirteenth king of Portugal and the Algarves...

. The first inhabitants were prisoners sentenced by minor delicts and fifty years after the village establishment the population was no more than ten families. The village was frequently attacked by pirates and a fortress was built in 1602. The fortress is commonly called Saint Clement's Castle.

Tourism

This small village with a 5,000 resident population has a great demand during holidays due to its fine beaches with clear water and natural beauty. Moreover, the surrounding area offers ecological tourism, paragliding

Paragliding

Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...

 training, a small safari park

Safari park

A safari park, sometimes known as a wildlife park, is a zoo-like commercial tourist attraction where visitors can drive in their own vehicles or ride in vehicles provided by the facility to observe freely roaming animals...

 and beautiful hideouts with small waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

s.

Beaches

There are several beaches near the Village being the most popular:

• Malhão
• Praia da Franquia (also known as "Praia do Rio" (River Beach))
• Furnas
• Aivados
• Ribeira da Azenha
• Foz

Miscellaneous

Locals joke that the town is of the three lies;

• Vila (village) - On the founding of the "village" there was less than the thousand inhabitants required to claim the state of village.

• Nova (new) - The estuary has for centuries provided shelter from the Atlantic for fishing fleets.

• De Milfontes (of a thousand fountains or springs)) - There has never been a thousand fountains or springs.

Vila Nova de Milfontes has a beautiful estuary that gives shelter to several species of birds and marine life. Moreover, wild boars and foxes can be found in the surrounding woods.

There is also an aquaculture centre nearby in Moinho da Asneira.