The castle's floor plan is an irregular pentagon. It features a thick wall reinforced at each corner by a tower. Four of the five towers have been restored. The main façade is pierced by a semicircular arch, which provides access, through a vaulted opening, to the entrance door, with a segmental arch inside. On the second floor, there is a loggia with a double lanceolate arcade, resting on octagonal pillars and inverted cone-shaped corbels, with a pointed arch window on corbels on each side. It has four vaulted rooms that open onto a central courtyard, with a cistern in the …

The Casa da Sereias is located at the Bandeirinha Street, The old Jews hill. The name which the house is known for (mermaid house) comes from the two exotic and gigantic mermaids that side the doorway. It is characterized by a simple architecture, except the magnificently sculpted façade, divided in three parts separated by pilasters, as well as the front extremes which simulate turrets crowned with battlements, delimited by pilasters that go up from the ground floor till the top. The Portocarrera family abandoned this palace in 1809, when the population murdered their sun thinking he was involved with the …

The Penha Longa Hotel Spa Golf Resort has a magnificent & serra de Sintra as inspiration. Absorbs the mysticism of these stops and turns them into spaces of great luxury and refinement. Are 200 hectares of Quinta da Penha Longa at your disposal, sprinkled with Lakes, gardens, small fragrant gardens, fountains and chapels. Be amazed by the beauty of the place and let yourself be enchanted by the details that make this a reference unit in Portugal. The excellent 194 rooms and suites, very spacious and with private balconies, invite you to breathe the fresh air of the Sierra. Between …

Located on high ground, close to the river and the Odivelas dam, the village of Alvito is one of the most beautiful and oldest in Alentejo. Remains from the Neolithic period have been found and several Roman artefacts were found. Suevi, Visigoths and Muslims also passed through these parts. The architectural heritage is extremely rich. The castle (dating from 1481), the Santa Luzia chapel and the main church are considered national monuments. Also noteworthy are the museum of sacred art, the library, the hermitage of Santa Luzia, the pillory and the Águas dos Peixes manor house. It has an equestrian …

A small village located on the right bank of the Pônsul River, it is believed to have been the imposing city of Egitânia during the Visigothic period. Before the Visigoths, it is believed to have been inhabited by the Lusitanians and Romans. The Islamic invasion destroyed much of the remains of previous civilizations, although some monuments from the Roman era still survive (part of the walls, a semi-cylindrical tower, a large gate, remains of roads, and a bridge over the Pônsul River). From the Manueline period, one can appreciate the doors and windows, and even the Cathedral (which blends a …

The Castelinho Leisure Park is the main leisure area in Vila Nova de Cerveira, it was remodeled in 2007 and has several activity suggestions. It includes the AquaMuseu, where you can visit the friendly otter couple, as well as its Aquarium and the Fisheries Museum. It also includes a Water Park that replicates the River Minho, with water jets and fountains that delight children on hot summer days. See the small artificial lake, from which you get a privileged view over the River Minho, with the Spanish bank on the other side. If you want to exercise, there are football, …

A Mannerist monument marking the site of the Battle of Ourique, believed to have taken place on July 25, 1139. It is a pilgrimage sanctuary, predominantly of 16th-century style, reflected in the construction of small, single-nave churches. It features a rounded triumphal arch supported by pilasters, and the main altar is made of wood with a masonry niche. According to legend, this chapel belongs to a group of seven sister chapels, all within view of each other: Our Lady of Amparo, in Mértola; Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Serpa; Our Lady of Cola, in Ourique; Our Lady of the Castle, …

The church consists of a single nave and a rectangular chancel, lower and narrower, with pilastered facades at the corners, and the sides are flanked by a cornice and pierced by two windows and a transom door. Inside, the high choir over a depressed wooden arch, a pulpit on the Gospel side, two side chapels with carved altarpieces, a triumphal arch wall entirely covered in gilded and polychrome woodwork, incorporating two side altarpieces, and a main altarpiece also in gilded and polychrome woodwork. The wooden ceilings are painted with coffered vaults, depicting saints by the Catholic Hagiologist. In the chancel, …

A Cistercian monastery that probably dates back to the 40s of the 12th century, preserving important Romanesque vestiges, particularly in the church's longitudinal nave, and Gothic elements in the chancel. It is located on the right bank of the Campesinho River, where the Mourela plateau meets the Geres mountain range. Inside the church, a Baroque altarpiece can be seen. Between the cloister and the cemetery, the church stands out, with a rectangular plan and a chancel, the latter on a lower and narrower level. On the main façade is a double-windowed bell tower flanked by two pinnacles and topped by …

This church was founded in 1636 and it is an example from the sixteen hundreds architecture, with a plan in Latin cross, one only nave with lateral chapels, transept and ample main chapel. This last one displays coverage in barrel vault and elevations covered with blue and white glazed tiles, standing out the golden carved big altarpiece, with the throne and the sacrarium also in golden wood. The high choir is settled in three perfectly vaulted arches with balustrade. The lateral chapels are dedicated to Santa Quitéria, Santa Ana, Santíssimo Sacramento, Nossa Senhora do Rosário, Nossa Senhora de Soledade e …