| Cartaxo |
Situated
south of Santarém, just off the A1 Lisbon-Oporto highway,
the pretty town of Cartaxo is the centre of an important winemaking
region.
It played an important role during the Peninsular War, with
Junot’s troops passing through in 1808 en route to Lisbon,
and Lord Wellington establishing his head-quarters there by
placing advanced posts on the right bank of the Rio Maior, ready
to return if the French attacked him with a superior force.
The Marqués de la Romana (1761-1811), the Spanish patriot,
died here during the Peninsular War.
What to see. In the centre of Cartaxo’s
charming main square, the Largo São João Baptista,
stands an ornate 16th century Manueline cross and the chapel
of Senhor dos Passos, which represents the remains of the Solar
dos Sousa Labatos where Wellington installed his headquarters
during the winter of 1810-1811.
Located southwest of the chapel on the main road leading out
of town, the Wine and Country Life Museum is housed on a working
estate where visitors can see traditional houses and taste and/or
buy the locally-made wines.
Nearby. 6 km from Cartaxo is the ruined monastery
of Santa Maria das Virtudes, where King João II received
Christopher Columbus in 1482 to discuss the possibilities of
exploration beyond the Atlantic.
Discovered in 1936, Vila Nova de São Pedro (7 km northwest
of Cartaxo) is an important prehistoric fortified castle 40
metres in diameter. |
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| © 2007 Maisturismo |
