|
Alentejo Vacations and Luxury Travel Packages
Alentejo, the charm of its plains and golden sun ...
|
|
To the south of Portugal, beyond the River Tagus (além do Tejo in Portuguese), there stretches a vast, undulating and seemingly never-ending plain: the Alentejo.
It is easy to become completely enveloped in its landscape, a clear expression of the harmony that can still exist between humankind and nature. Dotted here and there, amidst the vibrant colours of spring or the ochre hues of autumn, are to be seen brilliant white houses, with their doors and windows framed in blue or yellow. Standing like watchful sentinels in the midst of this great immensity are the so-called "eagle's nests": centuries-old towns nestling behind their defensive walls and awaiting your peaceful "attack".
Here you can follow the trail of the many peoples that have co-existed in these plains over the years and left behind them a host of memories to enrich present-day Portugal: the Roman, Mudéjar and Jewish cultures have all passed through here and left their indelible marks. Perhaps you would like to go back even further? The Alentejo is extremely rich in archaeological remains that bear testimony to different stages in the development of human life over thousands of years.
Make sure that your tour takes in cities such as Évora, classified as a world heritage site and steeped in almost two thousand years of history, Vila Viçosa, the home of the last king of Portugal, or Beja, the home of Soror Mariana, the lovelorn nun, who, shut inside her convent, looked out over the plains from her window and wrote passionate love letters to her dashing French army captain, or perhaps Portalegre, in the heart of the São Mamede National Park.
Afterwards, why not relax in one of the region's several pousadas housed in historical buildings? In addition to the warm hospitality that is an omnipresent characteristic of the Portuguese people, you can also enjoy a varied cuisine, liberally seasoned with aromatic herbs, and the quite unique desserts and sweet dishes made from traditional convent recipes and complemented so perfectly by the region's full-bodied wines.
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:
Roman temple, 2nd century, Évora.
Museum town of Roman origins, with historic centre classified in UNESCO?s International Heritage list. The 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:
Medieval castle, 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 this 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 12Ith-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 centre 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:
Campo Maior
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.
LOCAL GASTRONOMY
Carne de porco à alentejana (pork with clams and coriander) and migas
Coriander 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, Vidigueira, Cuba and Alvito
FESTIVITIES
St.John's Fair Évora, July
Museu Aberto Monsaraz, July
Classic music festival Évora, July
Semana do Guadiana Alandroal, May
Wine festival Borba, November
Ovibeja Agriculture fair and festivals, Beja ? March
HANDICRAFTS
Arraiolos rugs
Portalegre tapestries
Nisa embroideries
Wrought-iron works
Hand-painted furniture
Leather goods
Glazed and painted pottery and earthenware |
|
