Between Castelo de Vide and Portalegre, a few kilometers from Spain, we find the quiet village of Marvão, at the highest point of the Serra de São Mamede. Monte de Ammaia, as it was known, owes its current name to the fact that it served as a refuge for Ibn Marúan, a Moorish warrior, during the 19th century. IX. The Arab rule, which lasted a few centuries, ended when the Christian Reconquest 1160/66 military campaign here had another victory, under the action of D. Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal.

Marvao

 

Geographically, Marvão is a strategic natural defense point, marked by very steep slopes to the north, south and west, and with access only on the east side, where the settlement developed.

Arraiolos

Vila bem Alentejana, county seat, located in the district of Évora, Arraiolos is known mainly for its typical embroidery that goes from generation to generation. With traces of human presence in ancient times, probably since the Neolithic, or even since the Chalcolithic, the region of the municipality of Arraiolos already had a significant human occupation since the 4th millennium BC. Several peoples occupied this territory, which therefore has a long and Rich history.

 



The landscape of the region, typically Alentejo, is one of Arraiolos greatest assets, having from Castelo da Vila an extraordinary panorama of the beautiful white houses and all the surrounding nature. Here is also the huge Church of the Savior, an interesting 16th-century building surrounded by the walls.

Monsaraz

 



Medieval village, the oldest in the municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz, Monsaraz records signs of settlement since prehistoric times, and was even in the early days of its origin a fortified castro. In 1157 it was conquered to the Moors by Geraldo Geraldes “The Without Fear”, in 1167 donated to the Templars and in 1319 to the Order of Christ. For centuries the castle of Monsaraz played an important role as sentinel of the Guadiana, overseeing the border with Spain.

 

Castelo de Vide

 

The castle surrounded by white houses stands out in the landscape and is undoubtedly the first surprise for the visitor. From above, the Alentejo landscape acquires all its splendor. Small villages in the middle of the fields are lost sight of. Nearby, about 20 km, lurks Marvao and a little beyond you can see lands of Spain. On the north slope, between the Castle and the Fountain of the Village, a series of narrower streets delimit the historical core of Judea. The Castelo de Vide Jewelery is one of the most important examples of the presence of the Jews in our country, dating back to the 13th century, the time of D. Dinis. Here we can find one of the best preserved Jewish houses of Portugal, already some years ago included in a program of building recovery and revitalization, which preserves one of the largest spoils of civil architecture of the Gothic period.

 

Mertola

Where the storks come to nest and the graceful white houses loom over the Guadiana, there is still the charm of a living museum awaiting you. Having been a Roman city, capital of an Arab kingdom, the first headquarters of the Order of Santiago are credentials of its importance in history. And being the northernmost port of the Guadiana, the great southern road, it carried the heavy minerals of the region to the sea. For this reason Mértola guards the Romans, Suevi, Arabs and the Portuguese, who took it in 1268, valuable treasures kept in various museums.

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