Alentejo
On the vast golden plains of Alentejo,
the peaceful landscape is but a curtain
that opens on to an unimaginable heritage.
One is first taken by surprise by
the remarkable traces of successive
cultures: dolmens and cromlechs, Roman
and Arab vestiges mingling with the
most recent signs of Christianity,
of which the numerous medieval castles
that stand out in the vast plain are
but one example.
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Lagoa
de Santo André, Santiago do Cacém.
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To the northeast are the beautiful
villages and towns which make up the
so-called Rota dos Castelos (Castle
Route): Nisa, Castelo de Vide, Marvão,
Portalegre and Alter do Chão.
Further south, the landscape becomes
warmer and flatter; around Évora
(one of the most beautiful towns in
Portugal), are Monsaraz, Vila Viçosa,
Estremoz, and Arraiolos (renowned
for its hand made tapestries, based
on traditional drawings from the 17th
and 18th centuries). Driving on to
the south, the vast plains become
less inhabited and sunnier, the only
shade being provided by olive trees
and oak trees, and the only amenity
being provided by refreshing dams.
A trip to Alvito, Beja (where one
can stay in historic pousadas), Serpa
and Mértola will be worth your
time. The coastline to the west offers
the visitor magnificent Atlantic beaches.
As the region with the highest thermal
amplitude (going down to 5°C or
up to 33°C), Alentejo is a scarcely
populated region with quite open horizons,
where the rhythm of life follows the
idle sound of regional songs.
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Cork
trees, a typical Alentejo landscape.
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Places of interest
Beja
Ancient Roman town, it was a Muslim
cultural centre later on. In the Queen
Leonor Museum are valuable archeologic
finds. Other legacies: churches of
Santo António (Visigothic)
and Santa Maria; convent and castle
of São Francisco (currently
a pousada); chapel of Santo André
(Gothic-Moorish), and Misericórdia
Church (Renaissance). Roman ruins
at Pisões.
Castelo de Vide
Thermal spa, with medieval castle
and Jewish quarter (15th century synagogue).
A special reference to the chapel
of São Salvador do Mundo (Visigothic)
the two Paços do Concelho (medieval
and 18th century), and an ancient
church.
Elvas
Fortress town, with Roman-Arab castle,
Amoreiras Aqueduct (15th-17th centuries).
Other places of interest: mother-church
(Manueline), churches of Nossa Senhora
da Consolação (Renaissance)
and Santa Clara (17th century), and
Archeology and Ethnography Museum.
Estremoz
Town crowned by a 13th-century castle,
with a citadel (currently a pousada)
and Santa Isabel Chapel (18th-century).
special reference to the Gothic Dom
Dinis Palace, São Francisco
Church and Convent (Romanesque-Gothic),
Paços do Concelho (14th-century),
Maltesas Convent (16th-century), and
the Municipal Museum.
Évora
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Roman
temple, 2nd century, Évora.
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Museum town of Roman origins, with
historic center classified in UNESCO’s
International Heritage list. The town
ex-libris is its Roman temple, located
close to the Cathedral, which houses
an important Sacred Art Museum (Roman-Gothic).
Among its many convents and churches,
the following can be visited: São
Brás Chapel (Gothic-Moorish);
São Francisco Church (with
its Capela dos Ossos, a chapel walled
with human bones) and São João
Baptista Church (Gothic-Manueline);
churches of Nossa Senhora da Graça
(with-convent), Santo Antão
and São Vicente (Mannerist).
Palaces: Archepiscopal, Dom Manuel
and Dukes of Cadaval. A special reference
also to: Praça de Giraldo,
with 16th-century arches; Aqueduct;
convents of Santa Clara, Santa Helena
do Calvário and Lóios
(this one currently a pousada); University;
ancient Jewish quarter; Évora
Museum.
Marvão
To the south of Castelo de Vide lies
the town of Marvão, which is
notable for its impressive castle
(13th-14th-centuries) and the wonderful
views that affords. Once outside the
city walls, visit the convent of Nossa
senhora da Estrela (15th-century),
with-ceramic tiles dating from the
18th-century. Here too is the crucifix
of Estrela, from the Manueline period.
Mértola
This tower sits over the right bank
of the Guardiana river. The town’s
main attraction is its castle, built
by the Moors, with a guard tower from
the 13th-century. The main church,
with its sculpted façade, contains
elements from the Manueline period,
occupies the site of what once was
an ancient mosque. Mértola
has three important museum sites as
a consequence of the intense archeological
activity there. The Roman museum occupies
the Town Hall building. The Islamic
collection includes the country’s
most important archive of ceramic
objects (9th to 13th-centuries). Here
too is one of the rarest early Christian
basilicas in the entire Iberian peninsula
(dating from the 5th-century).
Monsaraz
Beautiful medieval village, with
castle, walls and fortifications.
Special reference to the Santa Catarina
Chapel, mother-church, Paços
do Concelho, Paços de Audiência
and Porta da Vila. In the nearby village
of Reguengos there is a megalithic
nucleus, with over 100 dolmens and
cromlechs.
Portalegre
Amongst the towers and walls of the
medieval castle stand the Paços
do Concelho and Hospital da Misericórdia.
Worthwhile visiting: the Cathedral,
São Bernardo Convent, the church
of São Francisco Monastery
(13th-18th centuries), and the Regional,
Sacred Art, Municipal Library and
Casa de José Régio Museums.
Santiago do Cacém
This is a village lying to the south
of Setúbal. Its majestic castle
of Arab origin was completely rebuilt
by the Christians in the 12th-century.
Beside the castle is the São
Pedro Chapel, which dates from the
7th-century, while the main church
dates from the 8th-century. Near Santiago
do Cacém one should visit the
archeological site of Miróbriga,
which was an important urban center
in Roman times. The site contains
a hippodrome, houses decorated with
mural paintings, an acropolis, a forum
and a very rich bathing complex, which
is one of the best preserved in the
country.
Tróia
Set on a peninsula overlooking the
south bank of river Sado, Tróia
has a number of important Roman remains,
especially of an important industrial
complex used for salting fish, an
activity in this region in Roman times.
The peninsula is fringed by many beautiful
sandy beaches that also back onto
a challenging golf course.
Vila Viçosa
The Duke’s palace belongs to
the House of Bragança, the
last Portuguese dinasty. It is an
imposing building, with a Renaissance
façade and a museum-library.
Other places of interest: Castle (13th-14th
centuries, with Santa Maria Church);
Santo Agostinho Church (13th-18th
centuries); Chagas de Cristo Convent;
Nossa Senhora da Esperança
Monastery; Castelo Novo (Renaissance).
Other places of interest
Alcáçovas, Aljustrel,
Alter do Chão, Alvito (pousada),
Arraiolos (hand made rugs), Avis,
Borba, Campo Maior, Crato, Escoural
(archeological park), Evoramonte,
Flor da Rosa and Marvão (pousadas),
Mértola, Monforte, Montemor-o-Novo,
Moura, Nisa, Ourique, Redondo, Serpa
(pousada), Viana do Alentejo, Vila
Nova de Milfontes.
For more information on the region
visit the Websites
page
Local gastronomy
- Carne de porco à alentejana
(pork with clams and cilantro) and
migas
- Cilantro bread soup
- Rabbit and hare
- Soups (fish, tomato, gaspacho)
- Kid and lamb stews
- Egg sweets
- Cheeses: Nisa, Serpa and Évora.
Red and white wines: Borba, Redondo,
Reguengos, Vidigueira, Granja-Amareleja
and Alentejo
Handicrafts
- Arraiolos rugs
- Portalegre tapestries
- Nisa embroideries
- Wrought-iron works
- Hand-painted furniture
- Leather goods
- Glazed and painted pottery and
earthenware
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