See Portugal

Golden plains that disappear out of sight combine with the sun and the heat to impose their own slow, steady rhythm. This is the Alentejo.

Inland, the vast golden wheat fields undulate in the wind; along the coast, unspoilt beaches look rugged and unexplored.

This open, ample landscape is peppered with cork-oaks or olive trees that have withstood the ravages of time. Occasionally sturdy fortress walls rise up from hills, as at Marvão or Monsaraz. Atop small hills stand white farmsteads, while the castles are reminders of the battles and conquests that once took place here. The patios and gardens bear witness to the influence of the Arabs, who helped to shape the people and the nature.

In the Alentejo, the brute force of the land dictates the march of time. Perhaps this is why the region’s culture has its own particular character. All you need to do is visit Évora and discover its Roman roots and the delightful charm of its heritage to understand why the city has been classified as a world heritage site. When you see the temple of Diana and some of the city’s churches, you’ll regard your time as well spent.

But don’t travel northwards or southwards without exploring the region’s coastline. There the landscape consists of high sheer cliffs sheltering tiny beaches. And there are also the sweet smells of the countryside, the herbs and spices used to season fish and seafood dishes. Here the time passes slowly, because the Alentejo follows the rhythm of the land itself. Remnants from the past are all around in the Alentejo, offering a real journey in time.

Two thousand years ago the territory that would later be Portugal was part of the Roman Empire. This source of language and culture left many records in the Alentejo, written on stone and mosaics, cisterns and forums, in vanished cities and on old monuments. Other civilisations, older and less well known, covered the region with impressive megalithic monuments, majestic and mysterious in their simplicity, erected in honour of unknown gods.

Discover the ‘towns’ of Pisões and São Cucufate, where the inhabitants lived in luxury. In Miróbriga, racing chariots pulled by Lusitanian horses, attracted crowds to the town hippodrome.