Alentejo
Six of the best in Alcácer do Sal
Alcácer do Sal is one of those Alentejo towns that is a sight for sore eyes, yet remains hidden from the gaze of mass tourism. […]
Alentejo
Alentejo
Eight of the most beautiful towns in Portugal
Marvão comes in at first position as it dominated our view for four months. Perched on a rock overlooking the golden Alentejo plains, this walled, Moorish town near the border with Spain is as stunning up close as it is from a distance. […]
Alentejo
Where is Portugal’s Costa Vicentina?
Where is Portugal’s Costa Vicentina? It seems like a simple question. But the answer isn’t as simple as you might expect. This week, whilst pulling together images for an article we’re writing about hiking in […]
Alentejo
Camel Spit & Cork Trees, a Year of Slow Travel Through Portugal
Our quest to find the ideal place to live, combined with missions to create Slow Travel holidays, took us from the honey-coloured coastline of the wilder side of the Algarve to the verdant valleys of the Minho in the north, and from living beside a smugglers’ trail in Alentejo’s ‘beyond the back of beyond’ border country to a small farm next to a cork forest in the Setúbal Peninsula… […]
Alentejo
Ten scenes of the Alentejo in Portugal
Ask me two years ago what visions the word Alentejo formed in my mind and my immediate answer would have been vast golden plains; a landscape devoid of people save for a handful of settlements, […]
Alentejo
Rock and Soul in Beja
I didn’t expect this. Covering almost all of the gable end of a house is a huge blue and red rooster made from discarded pieces of metal. Portugal seems to have a thing at the moment for oversized ‘rubbish’ animals. The rooster’s tail feathers block part of a window whilst a stray metal breast feather juts out over a door […]
Alentejo
It is simply Alentejo, not the new Tuscany
Driving through an endless savanna where mounds rather than hills rolled lazily toward infinity, a travel article I’d read in The Guardian a couple of years ago popped into my head. It was called ‘A foodie tour of Portugal’s Alentejo’ and claimed that Portugal’s largest region was being touted as the new Tuscany. […]
Alentejo
Into Alentejo, a road trip around the Sado Estuary
Although no distance as the crow flies, the transformation between bustling Setúbal and the sparsely populated, tree-fringed, white sands on the other side of the estuary was astounding. Within moments of disembarking we were on our own… […]
Alentejo
Land of discoveries, Evora in Portugal
I’m currently engrossed in ‘Conquerors – How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire’. It is an enthralling account of Portugal’s thirst for discovery, and riches. As the pages turn I jump between open-mouthed admiration of […]
Alentejo
The remote lonesome beauty of living in Alentejo
The clanging of bells as goats made their way to their daytime pasture was our alarm call in the morning; a mixed chorus of song from golden orioles, bee-eaters and azure-winged magpies serenaded us over breakfast under a grape covered arbour; […]
Alentejo
Finding the flavours of Portugal part 1, the north, central and Alentejo
Over the last twelve months we’ve visited all five of mainland Portugal’s regions, encountering a delightfully diverse gastronomy which has regularly surprised. This is an abridged version of regional dishes we enjoyed most in Porto and the north, central Portugal and also the Alentejo. […]
Alentejo
Town or countryside? I want both
Urban or rural? Beach or mountain? Large luxury resort hotel or family run pension? Michelin cuisine or simple street food? Quiet tasca or bouncing nightclub? Bustling city or tranquil village? […]
Alentejo
Gorging on the gastronomy of the Alentejo
We discovered on the whole Alentejo cuisine consisted of good quality products, unsophisticated meat and fish dishes, and portions that were generous to a ridiculous level. […]
Alentejo
The marvel that is Marvao
Marvao, considered one of Portugal’s prettiest towns, lay virtually on our doorstep, around 10km and a 15 minute drive away. Yet after four weeks of living with it as a neighbour we knew we really ought to visit, we hadn’t done so. […]
Alentejo
Life in the Slow Lane in Alentejo, Portugal
After dark, Marvao’s golden lights shimmer like a jewelled crown, the only light in the valley save for the moonlight that throws the landscape into blue shadows… […]