Private tours in Lisbon & surroundings
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Program
Cross the bridge “Vasco da Gama” over Tagus river, and have a superb view of Lisbon. Drive across the largest cork region in the world
for an exciting journey into the past.
We arrive to Moura, a town named “a green Oasis in the breast of a sea of golden cornfields”. The luminous white washed quarters, the
majestic sobriety of the castle and the architectonical wealth proves a miscellany of cultural inheritances, among which stand out the
Roman and Arab, which characterized this town, its legends and traditions.
Next is Serpa, famous for its historical patrimony but above all its cheese, some of the best of Alentejo. The Moorish castle and Santa
Maria's Church, built on the foundation of an Arab mosque, testifies this town vitality in the past.
An then comes Beja, where history reaches back to the roman times. Moorish architecture is visible in the cobbled streets and houses of
the old town, and an impressive castle from the 13th century reminds us of the struggle to keep the enemies them at bay. The castle
overlooks the immense flat area of Alentejo one of the most important agricultural regions of Portugal. Beja is the capital of this beautiful
and unspoiled region.
And finally we proceed to Cuba, a quiet little town in Alentejo created in the XIII century and which is said to be the birth place of
Christopher Columbus. Drive across the narrow streets with white washed houses and manor houses.
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...Alentejo is a south-central region of Portugal. Its name's origin, "Além-Tejo", literally translates to "Beyond the Tagus" or
"Across the Tagus". The region is separated from the rest of Portugal by the Tagus river, and extends to the south where it
borders the Algarve. The landscape is mostly one of soft rolling hills and plains, with cork oaks and olive trees, or the
occasional vine. In the north agriculture is based mostly livestock-based, with as cows, sheep and pigs (both white and black);
to the south the agriculture is mostly arable. Alentejo includes towns and villages which are living museums, some of them
barely touched by the passing of time. Alentejo is also filled with ancient history and on every corner you can discover
archeological sites of interest. The Alentejo area is commonly known as the "bread basket" of Portugal. A fitting title for this
vast open countryside with undulating plains and rich fertile soil. With very few exceptions all the major towns are mainly
reliant on agriculture, livestock and wood. Typical products from this area are grain, sunflower, carthame, fruit, vegetables,
olives, wines, cork, eucalyptus, lamb, pigs, kid, granite, schist and marble. This richness of produce has been taken from the
land for thousands of years as visitors may encounter throughout most of the region signs of human existence from thousands
of years ago. Topographically the countryside varies considerably, from the open rolling plains of the south of the Alentejo to
the granite hills that border Spain in the north-east. To feed the water needs of this considerable area a number of public dams
have been constructed. In the heart of the productive agriculture zone of Moura, there is the largest dam in Portugal named
"Alqueva", and also and one of the largest water surface areas in Europe. The capital of the "Baixa Alentejo" is Beja, whilst the
capital of the Alta Alentejo is Évora. Both these cities are rich in their history, ruins of historic buildings and occupation,
either by Romans, Vandals, Moors, or feuding royal families within Portugal...
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