Private Tour - Discovery of Portugal Heritage - 8 days

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival

Stop At: Praca do Giraldo, Evora 7000-508 Portugal
Come late afternoon we'll take a leisurely walk for the Évora Desaparecida Tour, and we'll discover the city of Évora from the 16th century to the 19th century. Much has disappeared, but that we can discover with the help of a magical box of archive photos ending with a simple tasting of regional wines.

Free dinner in Évora.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Estaçao Rede Expresso Evora, escola de emfermagem sao joao deus, 7005-206 Évora, Portugal
Pick up at Évora train or bus station.
Duration: 30 minutes

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Casa do Templo or at The Noble House, Évora

Day 2: Évora, World Heritage

Stop At: Praca do Giraldo, Evora 7000-508 Portugal
Tour of the forgotten or usually closed off heritage in this World Heritage city: discover the secret dialogue between frescoes on ceilings and historical tiles on the walls of churches in the capital of Alentejo. Includes tour of Igreja de Santiago, Casas Pintadas and Palácio dos Condes de Bastos.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Restaurante 1/4 pras 9, R. de Pedro Simões 9, 7000-629 Évora, Portugal
We end our tour at "15 para as 9", a restaurant where you'll taste typical delicacies from Alentejo: regional starters, asparagus "migas" with "Alguidar" meat, traditional desserts, drinks.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Praca do Giraldo, Evora 7000-508 Portugal
Free afternoon in Évora.
Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch: Restaurant "15 para as 9". Regional starters, asparagus "migas", traditional desserts, drinks.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Casa do Templo or at The Noble House, Évora

Day 3: Montado

Stop At: Centro Interpretativo dos Almendres, Rua do Cromeleque Near Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe a 15 Kms de Évora, Evora 7000-092 Portugal
09h30

We start by travelling back in time, approximately 7 thousand years, back to the Neolithic, when the Almendres Cromlech was built: surrounded by an aura of mysticism and enchantment, this is a must-visit place.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Herdade do Freixo do Meio Foros de Vale de Figueira, Montemor-o-Novo 7050-705 Portugal
11h00

Arrival at Herdade do Freixo do Meio, a typical local estate with 440 hectares of montado. Since they have been practicing exclusively organic farming. We'll take a walk through this estate where we will het a first-hand view of everything that grows in Alentejo, from the cork tree to cork and the whole ecosystem related to montado...

13h00

As this is the Alentejo countryside we cannot escape the Chickpea stew cooked in clay pots on a open fire with organic produce and wine from the estate. For dessert we'll have the traditional sericaia and fruit.
Duration: 5 hours

Stop At: Museu do Chocalho, 7090-061 Alcáçovas, Portugal
Off to Alcáçovas, where we discover the intangible heritage, the Art of Rattle making, classified by UNESCO as Intangible Heritage in need of Urgent Safeguarding. At the Pardalinho Rattle factory we will learn to mould the iron, how to use the ovens to solder the copper rattle and how to tune it.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Grupo desportivo e cultural de Alvito, 5, R. das Pereiras 3, 7920-044 Alvito, Portugal
19h00

In Alvito, we will sit on park benches, "silence..." and hear the voices of Alentejo, with an exclusive performance of Folk singing from Alentejo, which is also Intangible Heritage. We'll eat regional tapas, codfish bread soup, home made cake and coffee.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch: Chickpea stew cooked in clay pots on a open fire with organic produce and wine from Herdade do Freixo do Meio.
• Dinner: We'll eat regional tapas, codfish bread soup, home made cake and coffee.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Pousada Castelo de Alvito

Day 4: Frescoes: the Hidden Treasure of Alentejo

Stop At: Igreja Matriz, Largo da Trindade 2, 7920-018 Alvito, Portugal
09h30

We will start our incursion into the frescoes of Alentejo with the Rota do Fresco and tour the Main Church of Alvito which hides inside a vanguard fresco from the late 15th century.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Pelourinho de Alvito, Praca da Republica, Alvito Portugal
10h30

Walk around town, explaining the architecture of traditional local houses, the imaginary defence against the bubonic plague, and the largest set of Manueline gates in the South.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Chapel of St. Sebastian, R. dos Aviadores 1, 7920-052 Alvito, Portugal
11h30

Tour of the S. Sebastião Chapel, built in the 16th century, covered in frescoes of musician angles.
Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Ermida de Santa Ágata ou Ermida de Santa Águeda ou Ermida de São Neutel, 7920 Vila Nova da Baronia, Portugal
12h30

Back to Vila Nova da Baronia, where we will visit the Chapel of Santa Águeda and S. Neutel: built in the 16th century, its elevations and inside covers are covered in frescoes.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Restaurante O Casão, R. Joaquim Henrique da Silva 4, 7920-351 Vila Nova da Baronia, Portugal
13h30

At the "O Casão" we can relax with regional starters, Dogfish soup, dessert, drinks and coffee.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Olaria Mira Agostinho, R. Cândido dos Reis 17, 7090-238 Viana do Alentejo, Portugal
15h00

Onwards to Viana do Alentejo and get to know some handicrafts with potter Feliciano Agostinho... and all the secrets of famous Viana pottery.
Duration: 20 minutes

Meals included:
• Lunch: Dogfish soup, dessert, drinks and coffee at "O Casão".
Accommodation included: Overnight at Pousada Castelo de Alvito.

Day 5: Around the Great Lake

Stop At: Ermida de Sao Farausto, Oriola, Portel 7220 Portugal
10h00

On our way to Portel, we'll visit a hidden treasure in the planes of Alentejo, the Chapel of S. Farausto.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Ermida de Sao Bras, Rossio Sao Bras, Evora 7005-268 Portugal
11h00

Farther on, we'll search for frescoes at the Chapel of S. Brás, in Portel: it was restored in 2003, and when the lime was lifted an amazing pictorial campaign of mural painting from the 17th century was underneath.
Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Adega Velha, R. Joaquim José Vasconcelos Gusmão 9, 7240 Mourão, Portugal
13h00

At the "Adega Velha" for lunch we'll have communal tables and ancient radios to keep us company as we discover more flavours from Alentejo.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Museu da Luz, Largo da Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Luz, Mourao Portugal
15h00

At the Nova Aldeia da Luz and Museum, we'll bear living witness to the reaccommodation of a village drowned by the waters of the Alqueva Dam.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight ar Monsaraz

Day 6: Enjoying the Waters of Alentejo

Stop At: Praia Fluvial de Monsaraz, Monsaraz, 7200, Portugal
10h00

We will sail the great Lake Alqueva in a Dutch barge built in 1913 and refurbished to sail these waters.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Restaurante Bar Sem Fim, R. das Flores, 7200-181, Portugal
13h00

At the "Sem Fim", an old olive oil press, we shall taste the delicacies of this region: starters, Tomato soup with two cheeses and poached egg, pork in the oven, dessert, drinks and coffee.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Monsaraz Castle and Walls, Largo do Castelo, Monsaraz 7200-175 Portugal
For the rest of the afternoon we'll be free to discover Monsaraz.
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch: Tomato soup with two cheeses and poached egg, pork in the oven, dessert, drinks and coffee.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Monsaraz

Day 7: The Borders of Alentejo

Stop At: Estremoz Castle, 7100-509 Estremoz, Portugal
10h00

The Estremoz anticline holds the white gold of Alentejo: This Rota Tons de Mármore begins with two quarries integrated into the national reserve of Rosa Portugal. They've been extracting marble for over 50 years from 110m deep. From the extraction onwards to the processing: we will tour one of the factories of the anticline and follow large marble slabs until they become pavement stones.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Adega Cooperativa de Borba, Largo Gago Coutinho e Sacadura Cabral,, 7150 Borba, Portugal
12h00

Wine and olive oil tasting at the Cooperativa de Borba.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Os Cucos, Mata Municipal de Vila Viçosa, 7160-254 Vila Viçosa, Portugal
13h30

Lunch at the "Os Cucos", in Vila Viçosa, where we will be treated to regional starters, roasted pork cheeks, sweets and seasonal fruit, water, soft drinks and coffee.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Fortaleza de Juromenha, Juromenha, Alandroal 7250 Portugal
15h30

In Juromenha, we'll be surprised by an astonishing Fortress, a forgotten military monument, forgotten by time, but full of stories to tell!
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch: Regional starters, roasted pork cheeks, sweets and seasonal fruit, water, soft drinks and coffee.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Casas de Juromenha

Day 8: Departure

Stop At: Casas de Juromenha, 7250-242 Juromenha, Portugal
Transfer to Évora bus or train station.
Duration: 1 hour

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.