Alentejo
The Alentejo is a large part of southern Portugal. It covers an area of over 30,000 square kilometres, about a third of Portugal. It is located below the Tagus River, which gave it the name Além Tejo (Alentejo), and borders the Algarve to the south in the Serra do Caldeirão. It also borders Spain to the east, where below Badajoz the Guadiana River largely represents the border, except in a region known as the left bank of the Guadiana. To the west, it borders the Atlantic Ocean.
The Alentejo is immense, and given that it has few elevations, it is dominated by the Alentejo plain, with wonderful landscapes stretching as far as the eye can see. However, not all of the Alentejo is flat, and there are several mountainous regions such as the São Mamede, Adiça, Portel and Caldeirão mountains. There are also several hills rising above the plain, offering fantastic views over the landscape, among which Monsaraz stands out. In the São Mamede mountains, Marvão is particularly noteworthy. But there are many other places worth discovering…
The Alentejo is also history.
There are countless traces of prehistoric occupation throughout the territory. Sites such as the Cromeleque dos Almendres near Évora, one of the largest in Europe, dating back 5 millennia, as well as several menhirs and dolmens in the surrounding area of Monsaraz, and in many other locations.
The Roman Alentejo.
The Alentejo was part of one of the Roman provinces of Lusitania, and we find countless examples of this, such as the Temple of Diana in Évora, the ruins of São Cucufate, several Roman bridges, thermal baths, theatres, pavements, dams, aqueducts, among others, and even the structure of the territory into municipalities, and Latin as the mother tongue of Portuguese.
The Arab Alentejo.
The Arab occupation of the Iberian Peninsula is evident in various castles built by the Moors, mosques such as the one in Mértola, construction techniques, water collection and storage systems, artistic styles and decorative tastes, Moorish chimneys, eating habits, many of the words we use, and much more.
The Alentejo of the Christian Reconquest.
The reconquest left its mark on the Alentejo with countless castles, forts, watchtowers and fortified towns. Even after the reconquest of the south, these allowed the territory to be defended from wars with Spain in the east, invasions by sea in the west, and in the centre as a second line of defence that was not contained along the border.
During the reconquest, the clergy and various religious orders became the largest landowners in the region. Their material legacy includes a vast heritage, with countless churches, convents, monasteries, chapels, and hermitages.
After the extinction of religious orders in the 19th century, much of this heritage, such as convents, was adapted into museums or hotels, which can now be experienced by tourists visiting the Alentejo.
The Alentejo of the Discoveries.
The Age of Discovery left its mark on the Alentejo, as it did on the whole of Portugal, and this is evident in its architecture and in the Manueline, Renaissance and Baroque styles.
The Alentejo today…
The Alentejo is therefore a mixture of cultures, traditions and accumulated ancient knowledge. As we travel through the Alentejo and come into contact with the endless plains, castles, people, traditions, songs and cuisine, we are experiencing years of history… It is difficult not to fall in love with this wonderful region that is the Alentejo!
