In May of 2023, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to meet up with three couples, friends from Austin, during a three-day trip to Lisbon, Évora, and the Alentejo region -- the heartland of Portugal. A two-and-a-half hour's drive east of the capital, and ensconced inside 14th-century walls, lies the beautiful medieval town of Évora (EH-vor-uh).
Évora boasts a magnificent cathedral and cloisters, ruins of a Roman temple and nearby baths, and a lovely town square, Praça de Giraldo, surrounded by typical narrow, windy, and cobblestoned (calçadas) streets. The country's second-oldest university is also located there.
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We joined our Austin friends, Lenn & Marjorie, who were covering the southern half of Portugal on bikes(!), at the Convento de Espinheiro hotel, on the outskirts of Évora. As its name suggests, this was once a convent and much of the original building and interior has been preserved, as well as its age-old beer production. Happily, the rooms were more modern, including the remote-controlled Lamborghini of a toilet!
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From Évora, we headed northeast for a short drive to the small hamlet of Feixo (FAY-ee-shoo). We were there on the recommendation of friends to visit the Herdade do Feixo, a modern winery that has won several architectural and design awards. ('Herdade' is one of several Portuguese words that roughly translate to 'farm' in English, Herdade describing a large one.) Even though the winery was closed when we arrived, the lovey staff opened the doors for us and gave us the grand tour. By design, most of the building is underground leaving the rolling hillside largely unspoiled, and the winery's various levels are accessed by a spiral ramp, representing a corkscrew.
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From the winery, we drove south to São Pedro do Corval, a small town known for its pottery (olaria). In fact, it has more than 20 potteries (olarios) making it one of the major producers on the Iberian peninsula. Several of the potteries have been there for generations and this was evident from the multi-generational family members we could see at work. And, indeed, some of the buildings are centuries old too, judging by the remains of ancient furnaces.
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From there we continued south to the town of Serpa whose origin predates the Roman occupation. However, it grew significantly under Roman rule, and subsequently under the Moors and ultimately the Christians after the Reconquista. This was largely because it was a defensive stronghold due to its proximity to the river Guadiana that forms the border with Spain.
Serpa is charming. For a weekday, there were surprisingly few people around as we roamed the town's quaint, narrow streets. Besides sightseeing, however, there is not a lot to do. The highlight was, undoubtedly, the tour of the 14th Century castle that offered panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. At the castle's entrance is a chunk of collapsed wall wedged overhead. It's not obvious where it came from!
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