| ALENTEJO |
With a colourful landscape, wide open
roads and dazzling whitewashed villages, the great expanse of
the Alentejo is considered one of the most picturesque parts
of Portugal.
Occupying nearly a third of the mainland, the region begins
an hour's drive north east of Lisbon and ends at the mountains
of the Algarve, rubbing up against Spain all along the way.
The Alentejo is at its loveliest in spring, when wild flowers
fill the ditches and cover the fallow land. Storks build their
nests on roof tops and shepherds cradle new born lambs, providing
visitors with a vivid impression of the real Portugal.
For hundreds of years the region was a battlefield, first against
the Moors and then against Spanish invaders. On this trampled
land, crops had no time to grow beneath the feet of all those
marching armies. But today it is a very fertile province, producing
more than two thirds of the world's total cork supply.
At the heart of the region, the walled city of 6vora is a very
good base from which to explore the many outlying towns. Standing
proud as the Alentejo's largest city, it boasts a roman temple
and an impressive Gothic cathedral.
Elvas, close to the Spanish frontier, is the biggest stronghold
in the country. Its main attractions include a Manueline cathedral
and several exquisite azulejo glazed tiles in the church of
the Freiras de São Domingos. Just outside the town stands
the 7 kilometre long Amoreira aqueduct.
The inhabitants of nearby Estremoz have managed to preserve
the quaint old upper part of their town, where a turret looms
over the castle. The lower district is surrounded by fortifications,
including the Gothic church of the São Francisco convent.
Other places of interest in the Alentejo include the pretty
towns of Portalegre, Montemor-o-Novo, Monsaraz and Mértola
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| © 2007 Maisturismo |
