Well sited above the River Tagus and always of strategic importance
over the centuries, Abrantes played a vital role in the reconquest
of Portugal after 300 years of Moorish rule. The Duke of Wellington
also made it his base during the Peninsula War (1808-14). What to see. Near the hill top stands the 15th-century
church of Santa Maria do Castelo. Within the castle walls is
the Dom Lopo de Almeida Museum which houses the tombs of the
Almeida family (counts of Abrantes). Besides a fine collection
of early Sevillian tiles, the museum also has 15th-century sculptures
and mid 16th-century paintings. Nearby. 10 km from Abrantes stands the Castelo de Almourol,
dramatically set on a tiny island in the Tagus River. Built
over a Roman fortress in 1171, the castle is said to be haunted
by the ghost of a princess sighing for the love of her Moorish
slave.
