Fort of São João do Arade

The area where the castle stands has been inhabited since at least Roman times , due to the presence of salt tanks nearby. In the 15th century, a watchtower was built on the approximate site of the castle.
The fortress is located on top of a hill next to the mouth of the Arade River being used to defend the estuary of that river, together with the Santa Catarina Fort. Its structure has a roughly trapezoidal shape, standing out for its great verticality, in order to guarantee the control and defense of a wider area, having a silhouette that would be visible from great distances. It is considered a rampart fortification , consisting of a keep with several attached bodies, of different heights, forming platforms that would probably serve to house batteries. One of the rooms faces the ocean, with a guardhouse and several windows with a broken profile.
Joaquim de Carvalho carried out works at the beginning of the 20th century, which gave it the appearance of a romantic castle. Some time later, it became the property of politician Francisco Vieira Machado. In 1998 it was acquired by businessman Vasco Pereira Coutinho from the heirs of Francisco Vieira Machado, remaining in his possession to this day.