Porto Covo is a parish in the municipality of Sines, with a surface area of ​​48.73 km².

The Island of the Pessegueiro, with its fort, makes geographically part of the territory of the parish of Porto Covo.

The parish of Porto Covo was created on December 31, 1984, by detachment of the parish of Sines, until then the only one of the municipality of the same name (which left thus to be of the seven Portuguese municipalities with only one parish to integrate its territory ).

A song by Rui Veloso takes the name of this parish and made it known among the Portuguese.

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Besides being a characteristic fishing village, Porto Covo is also a tourist attraction, with its fine white sand beaches, warm by the sun, among the cliffs. Its waters are transparent and rich in tasty fish that delight visitors.

Historic heart of the village of Porto Covo, Largo Marquês de Pombal is one of the wonders of Portuguese popular architecture. The plant, probably from 1789-1794, was inspired by the Pombaline model of downtown Lisbon. It is located in the square the main monument of the village: the Church of Our Lady of Soledade.

In front of Porto Covo, there is the musical island of Pessegueiro. It is thought that the Carthaginians settled on the island even before the Second Punic War (218-202 BC). In Roman times it was a port center and producer of canned fish, whose marks can still be observed. It is possible that the island corresponds to the old Poetanion referred to in the classical texts.

A refuge for pirates for centuries, the island needed a defense against them, and as a result, the first fort was built under Philip III in 1603. It did not withstand the attacks, however, and by the end of the 19th century. XVII, D. Pedro II ordered the construction of a new fort, with a garrison of 30 men and five pieces of artillery. Also to avoid attacks from the continent, the fort of the "island from inside", now abandoned, was built, although its moat and the almost intact walls are still visible. Its large terrace allows you to see the island of Pessegueiro, the beach, and the cliffs that protect Porto Covo.

On the island of Pessegueiro, which inspired Rui Veloso, who dedicated a song, can be appreciated the fortress of the seventeenth century, the ruins of a Roman port and a chapel sixteenth century. In summer, it is possible to visit the island by fishing boats or by boat trips. In front of the island of Pessegueiro is the excellent beach of the Island, with conditions for windsurfing, boat trips and sport fishing. Next to the beach, one can see a fortress of the seventeenth century, partly destroyed by the earthquake of 1775.

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The base of the traditional gastronomy of the county of Sines is the fish and the seafood. Every day the fresh ingredients that make the fame of the numerous restaurants of Sines and Porto Covo arrive every day in the town hall. The typical cuisine of this region joins the seafood to the products of the Alentejo interior.

Dishes such as seafood açorda and crumbs with fried fish are examples of this irresistible combination of flavors. Among the dishes that can be seen in Porto Covo are the fish stew, the monkfish rice, the clay sausage, the rice and the seafood açorda, the grilled fish and the pork al Alentejo, with clams .

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It has a warm and temperate climate. In winter there is much more rainfall in Porto Covo than in the summer. According to Köppen and Geiger the climate is classified as Csa. 16.9 ° C is the average temperature. It has an average annual rainfall of 563 mm.

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