The Alto Alentejo 8

Looking out from the castle over the walled hilltop town of Évoramonte


	Towns with Fortifications. Conflict with the Spanish was, at times, part of Portuguese life and many towns, especially near the border, have fortifications. Évora once had a castle as well as walls. The nearby hilltop town of Évoramonte, has a 16th century castle within fortifications going back to Roman times. Elvas’s old town fortifications are amongst the best-preserved in Europe and follow principles created by the French military architect the Marquis de Vauban. Don’t leave town without also visiting the Aqueduto da Amoreira. At Vila Viçosa the walls of the hilltop old town enclose a castle (the seat of the Braganças before their palace was built), a 14th century church and several houses. The dramatic and tiny fortified hilltop village of Monsaraz is known to locals as Ninho das Águias (Eagles Nest). Perched high above the Gaudiana river on Spain’s frontier, it is entirely enclosed within walls and has a small castle at one end. This is part of a chain of fortresses which continue to the north at Alandroal, Elvas and Campo Maior. Montemor-o-Nova has a castle where Vasco da Gama’s plans for opening up a sea route to India were finalised.


	Looking along the ramparts of Vila Viçosa’s walled ‘old town’.


	WHERE TO STAY

		Portuguese campsites are awarded star ratings with 4-star sites offering the best facilities. Not all sites are star classified. We stayed at the 3-star Orbitur Évora campsite, a full-facilities site with clean toilets and helpful staff. We wouldn’t hesitate to go back. Click through to www.orbitur.pt.



	Campsite Orbitur Évora.
	Also consider the tiny (unclassified) Camping Rosário near Alandroal, which is only open March to September. It is clean, offers all the normal facilities, and is situated next to a river and lake. Click through to www.campingrosario.com. Near Elvas is the 1-star/100 pitch Parque de Campismo da Piedade with very limited facilities. Open April to mid-September. Click through to www.eurocampings.co.uk and then click on Portugal within the Europe map and search by site name. Also consider the year-round Clube de Campismo de Lisboa’s Gameiro site just north of Mora. Click through to www.clubecampismolisboa.pt.

There’s a beautiful 18th century fountain but, otherwise, few outward signs of affluence.

There is, however, a wine cooperative with a reputation for producing some of the Alentejo’s best wines and tours of the winery are available by prior arrangement.

Around 7 miles further north-west is Estremoz, the largest of the marble towns, which holds a huge Saturday open air market.

As well as marble, the town is renowned for earthenware pottery characterised by simple flower and leaf patterns (and sometimes inlaid with marble chips!) which it has produced since the 16th century. Examples can be seen in the town’s small Municipal Museum and in the Museu Rural near the bus station. There’s also a Museu Agricultura.

Estremoz was one of Portugal’s most strongly fortified towns and the ramparts of the upper town are well-preserved. Within the fortifications is an auster-looking white building, now a pousada, which was once a palace belonging to King Dom Dinis.

Also worth seeing is the Torre das Três Coroas (Tower of the Three Crowns), so called because three kings took part in its construction, giving rise to a mix of Islamic-style battlements and Gothic balconies.

Wine

The Alentejo is best-known for red wines which are generally full-bodied, fruity, smooth, well-balanced and low-acidity.

Production is divided into eight sub-regions: Portalegre, Borba, Redondo, Vidiguera, Reguengos, Moura, Granja/Amareleja and Évora, each with its own cooperative.

There are several ‘wine routes’ and the following is amongst the most popular:

ÉVORA - at Igrejinha, just north-west of Évora, is the Fundação Eugénio de Almeida, where Cartuxa wine is made. There’s been a large press here since 1776.
ARRAIOLOS - At the J.P. Vinhos winery, grapes grown near the town of Moura are turned into wine. Arraiolos is also famed for its hand-woven carpets, produced since the 13th century.
ESTREMOZ - The S.A. Quinta do Carmo company specialises in red wines.
BORBA - The Adega Cooperativa de Borba is one of the oldest cooperative wine cellars in the Alentejo. Also, Sovibor Lda, founded in 1968, produces high quality wines using modern methods.
REDONDO - Here, the Adega Cooperativa de Redondo has some of the most modern and well-equipped wine cellars in the Alentejo. There’s also the Roquevale Lda winery.
REGUENGOS DE MONSARAZ - Finagra S.A. The Esperão Estate has 350 hectares of vines and produces Esperão wine.