| ERICEIRA |
Located 10 km west of Mafra, the pretty fishing village of Ericeira
becomes a lively holiday resort during the summer months, with
numerous cafés, restaurants and bars springing up alongside
the long, sandy beach.
Besides being famous for its lobsters, which are kept in nurseries
in the rocks, it was the scene of an important moment in modern
history when the last monarch, Manuel II, sailed away into exile
with his family in 1910 as Portugal was being declared a republic.
The banished king settled in Twickenham, southwest London, where
he died in 1932.
What to see. The Misericordia church has interesting
17th and 18th century paintings and gilded baroque woodwork,
while the adjoining Museu da Ericeira provides an insight into
the town’s history with a large collection of model boats
and a variety of fishing equipment.
Perched high above the ocean, the unspoilt old town is a maze
of whitewashed houses and narrow, cobbled streets.
Nearby. On the northern edge of town, the little
mosque-like chapel of São Sebastião stands alone
in front of the vast, sandy Atlantic coastline that stretches
all the way up to the great headland of Peniche.
9 km inland, and rivalling Spain’s Escorial in grandeur,
the imposing national palace and convent of Mafra took 50,000
workmen 18 years to build. |
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| © 2007 Maisturismo |
