Spending the day in Arraiolos and Estremoz, Alentejo, Portugal

The small pretty white town of Arraiolos snaking up the hillside to the ruins of a medieval castle made an impressive sight. A short drive from Évora, the capital of Alentejo, this place is renowned for its rugs.

Embroidering away 
Arraiolos tapetes©TVB

Saunter round the endearing town and in some small shops you can see people embroidering away creating this uneven cross-stich which covers the whole canvas base of the rug. Each one is hand-made and can contain 24 colours. 

It is not known how old the industry here is, but it is believed the craft was an inheritance from the Moors. The oldest rugs date back to the Middle Ages and appear to have been influenced with designs from the Muslim empires of Ottoman and Persia. 

Local café in the town square

After the Moors left, rugs continued to be made and as Évora, in the 15^th century, was in its Golden Age and was the residence of the Portuguese kings, the Arraiolos floor coverings were in demand by not only the royal palaces but by the convents and monasteries.  

By the late 18^th century, the style mavens had lost interest in the Orient and European artistic trends became the flavour of the moment. So, the carpet makers of Arraiolos fused a more popular decorative mode with Orientalism which eventually morphed into themes which we see today based on local flora and fauna.   

However, at the end of the 19^th century, the industry was dwindling but was revived in the 20^th century when the rugs were lauded both nationally and internationally.

I marvelled at a chapel

Museums are not always my bag on holiday as I would rather experience real life, but I was fascinated with the Centro Interpretativo do Tapete de Arraiolos. The information is well presented and easy to digest.

The exhibitions feature some rare pieces which are hundreds of years old and truly works of art. 

Afterwards we popped into the near-by town hall that hosts a collection of tapestries and works by local artist Dórdio Gomes. 
 

At the Pousada of Arraiolos, a restored 16^th-century convent, I marvelled at a chapel adorned with elaborate Portuguese tiles known as azulejos.

Estremoz 

My guide Libánio Murteira Reis, a history professor, not only knew how to give me facts in a way that grabbed my attention, he, like most of the Portuguese I had met, liked their coffee. So, we went into a local café in the town square where we also just had to sample some snacks including pork crackling pastry. An acquired taste, I think. But unless you try something you will never know if you like it or not.  

I had never visited a quarry before but I was about to as we headed to Estremoz, the biggest marble town in Alentejo. Libánio told me that marble has been cut in the area since Roman times. Deep holes showed streaked marble. At the sides were mountains of discarded pieces. I was told that the most precious is pure white or pink but it can also be streaked or speckled and even have a yellowish tinge.

Another first for me was having lunch in a former jail. Here I enjoyed a superb lunch of Bacalhau (salted cod) in what was once a 16^th-century prison in the heart of the Royal Citadel. Just to give you that sense of place, the designer of this minimalist restaurant, A Cadeia Quinhentista, has left the bars on the windows. It is well worth going to Estremoz just for the food here. 

Paço Ducal in Vila Viçosa

After lunch we headed to the Paço Ducal in Vila Viçosa. Built in the early 16^th century, it was the home of the Dukes of Bragança, one of Portugal’s noblest families.

Even though many treasures were sent to Lisbon when the eighth duke in 1640 became João IV,  there are still plenty to make a visit here worthwhile. From Flemish tapestries, carved furniture and spectacular Persian rugs to portraits of the 17 dukes and a painting the British gave to Catherine of Bragança after her husband, Charles ll died, there is a lot to feast your eyes on. 

I was particularly fascinated with the private quarters of King Carlos and Queen Marie-Amélia which are dressed as if the couple were going to walk through the door at any moment. Actually, the king spent the night here before his assassination in 1908. The last king, Dom Manuel ll was exiled to England. The palace was left to the nation.

After an action-packed day discovering more Alentejo gems, it was time to say goodbye to the marble-clad town of Estremoz and head back to Évora.

By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

TAP Portugal flies from London Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester to Lisbon up to 9 times a day, prices start at £124 return including all taxes and surcharges. For further information, visit www.flytap.com or call 0345 601 0932

I stayed in Évora at the impressive five star M`AR De AR Aqueduto, housed in the 16^th-century Sepulveda Palace. For more information visit www.mardearhotels.com

For more information about Alentejo visit www.visitalentejo.pt/en/ 

Destination Évora, Alentejo, Portugal

Never-ending shades of green carpeted with vines, cork-oak trees and splashes of purple and yellow flowers peppered with medieval towns, Alentejo is rustic romance laced with authentic flavour.

It seemed only minutes ago that I had left the hustle and bustle of Lisbon Airport and crossed the imposing Vasco da Gama Bridge that spans the Tagus estuary. And here I was being welcomed by the beguiling beauty of the Alentejo.

The Alentejo

As my driver meandered along the quiet roads, I watched cows grazing nonchalantly and lambs frisking in the meadows. This is a world where the languid pace of life seems to have remained unaltered for centuries. Any gnawing frenzy that stressed-out city dwellers, like me, bring with them quickly melts away. It felt good to be back in Portugal’s agricultural heartland.

Covering almost a third of the country, it stretches from the Tagus in the north to the hills of the Algarve in the south. The name Alentejo is derived from além do Tejo which translates as beyond the Tagus.

It was not long before I glimpsed the arches of Évora’s 16th-century aqueduct appearing beyond its medieval city walls. This hilltop haven of culture and gastronomy was to be my base for the next few days. 

Évora’s 16th-century aqueduct seen from the garden of the M`AR De AR Aqueduto 

They say every city has stories that define them and Évora is no exception. Wherever you go in the capital of Alentejo, walls echo with the past. Whitewashed houses with wrought-iron balconies, from hundreds of years ago, hugging the narrow and winding cobbled streets play with your imagination as you start to wonder who and what has gone before you.  

With links to the Celts, this once vibrant Roman city saw the Visigoths and the Moors too leave their stamp. Évora’s golden age was in the 15^th century when it became the residence of the Portuguese kings. Today, the historic centre is listed as a Unesco world heritage site attracting people from all over the world.

From the roof top of the Romanesque-Gothic Sé de Évora (Évora Cathedral) you have great views of the town and the surrounding countryside. The inside is lavish and has a unique marble statue of the pregnant Virgin Mary. According to legend, the fleet of Vasco da Gama had its flags blessed here before they set sail to India.

Templo romano

The star of this open-air museum city, as it often is called, has to be the granite and marble Templo romano (Roman temple). It is over 2,000 years old and, my guide Olga Correia Miguel told me, is one of the best-preserved on the Iberian Peninsula.

At the Casas Pintadas (Painted Houses) a stunning set of frescoes from the second half of the 16^th century, decorates the garden wall. This is unusual, apparently, in Spain and Portugal as no other garden has anything quite like this still in existence. 

The house became part of the complex of buildings of the Palace of the Inquisition and was bought in the 19^th century by the founder of the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation, a privately-owned charity based in Évora. You can see what the life of this powerful Portuguese family was like by mooching round the house.




Chapel of Bones

From the beautiful to the macabre, we headed to the 15th-century San Francisco Church (NB: it closes at lunchtime). I hate to think what St Francis who was all for simplicity would make of all the glitz here. What makes this grand structure stand out from the crowd apart from the Gothic and Mudéjar features is the Chapel of Bones. 

Walk into this small room and you are greeted by the bones and skulls of approximately 5,000 people which plaster the walls. This was the solution devised by 17^th-century monks to cope with the problem of overflowing graveyards in churches and monasteries. The eeriness is emphasised by the inscription over the door: “We bones that are here, for yours await.” 

Olga pointed out that the message is really whether you are rich or poor, or whatever your skin colour, we all end up as bones.

On that chilling note it was time to take in some fresh air and refuel with a coffee in the Praça de Giraldo, the main square, at one of the many cafés that spill into it. The square also features a lovely water fountain which dates back to the 16^th century.

Praça de Giraldo, the main square

The Portuguese love their sweets and a small desert is an indulgence that is hard to resist. I kept telling myself that they were good energy boosters. One of my favourites is the pastel de nata, a scrumptious rich egg custard tart made with puff pastry.

Soon the surrounding arcades were calling and it was time to go and explore them. Running off the square the quaint streets are filled with pretty boutiques and shops selling traditional Portuguese handcrafts including Arraiolos rugs made in a town close by, tiles and cork in guises ranging from table mats to bags as well as lamps and chairs.

Part of the city walls

And, of course, as you are in the Alentejo there are plenty of places to stop and taste some of the spectacular wines that this region has to offer.

The sensual culinary aromas that fill the air always make you feel hungry and believe me it will be hard to find better cuisine anywhere. Food is important here. What you will get is lashings of top quality fresh produce. With every mouthful, exciting flavours enfold into your mouth. (I could wax lyrical about the cuisine so I will focus on this in another post.
allabouthairuk.blogspot.co.uk/alentejo-gastronomy-in-evora-portugal)

Évora is a rich array of centuries that has been integrated into a modern university city. For a small place it packs a punch well above its weight.

By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

TAP Portugal flies from London Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester to Lisbon up to 9 times a day, prices start at £124 return including all taxes and surcharges. For further information, visit www.flytap.com or call 0345 601 0932

I stayed at the impressive five star M`AR De AR Aqueduto, housed in the 16^th-century Sepulveda Palace. For more information visit www.mardearhotels.com

Another wonderful hotel is the Convento do Espinheiro. Slightly further out of the city, this is a great place if you want a combination of culture, cuisine and relaxation. For more information visit www.conventodoespinheiro.com 

Great places to eat

Café Alentejo restaurantecafealentejo.com

Mr. Pickwick www.evora.net/mrpickwick-mrsnob

Restaurante Dom Joaquim restaurantedomjoaquim.pai.pt

Wine Tastings

Vinhos do Alentejo www.vinhosdoalentejo.pt

Cartuxa www.cartuxa.pt

For more information about Alentejo visit www.visitalentejo.pt/en/