| CASTELO
DE VIDE |
Located among olive groves and chestnut
trees in the cool mountain region of São Mamede, Castelo
de Vide is often referred to as the Sintra of the Alentejo.
Scattered with monuments, this pretty spa town is a place of
roses, fountains, orchards and old houses. Steep alleyways lead
up to the castle through a 16th-century village, which is enriched
with some of the most impressive Gothic entrances in Portugal.
What to see. King Denis began building the castle but
it was his son, Afonso IV, who completed it in 1327. It was
successfully defended by an Anglo-Portuguese force against the
Spanish in June 1704. The town's oldest chapel, the 13th-century
Salvador do Mundo, boasts a much-admired painting called Flight
into Egypt by an unknown artist. The Jewish Quarter located
in the east side of the Medieval town has cobble streets and
well-preserved houses. Its synagogue dates back to the 14th
century.
Nearby. Dotted over an area to the north between Castelo
de Vide and Castelo Branco are a number of circular stone edifices,
similar to those at the Iron Age site of Citânia de Briteiros
in the north of Portugal. A short drive south-east of Castelo
de Vide lies the enchanting town of Marvão, with its
dramatic castle that soars almost one 1,000 metres up on a buttress
of the Serra de Mamede. |
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| © 2007 Maisturismo |
