The ‘most Portuguese village in Portugal’ title belongs to Idanha-a-Nova. An old village with traces of visigothic and roman presence that was conquered by D. Afonso Henriques on 1165. Monsanto was donated to the Order of knight Templars that built its castle by order of the Grand Master D. Gualdim Pais.

The village is at the top of a hill in Idanha’s plain. Its view is superb. The houses are balanced in a unique way between the granitic rocks, drawing an unforgettable profile. The houses are well preserved, and maintain an old architecture that displays the best example of what old villages in Portugal were like.

Monsanto has everything. History, monuments (templar castle, matrix church, clock tower), legends and old customs. You can also find in Monsanto portuguese timbrels, an old percussion instrument, and marafonas, typical dolls made out of cloth.

It’s a village full of life, with local families and the presence of other people that found in Monsanto their place of relaxation. You can stay there or just visit with the certainty that you will leave Monsanto with moments that you  will treasure forever.

Idanha-a-Velha, a small quiet village with a picturesque ambience filled with olive trees.It has a  rich historical past that can be seen in the many preserved ruins that transform the village into a living museum.

It’s an old roman-visgothic city from Egypt. It was an episcopal city  in 534, under suebi and visigothic rule and many arabs passed through the city until the christian reconquest. The old cathedral, restored in the beginning of the XVI century, still preserves rocks sculpted and inscribed in roman times.

It is worthwhile to admire the renaissance Matrix Church (XVIII century) with popular influences, a pillory from the XVII century in the Manuelino style classified as Realty of Public Interest, the old town hall, and the ruins of the Tower of Templars.

You can visit a rare olive oil press from the XIX century, still in a very good state, and see how olive oil was produced back then.

The portguese timbrel brings joy to the village, the boat adventures in the Ponsul river and the company of the exotic storks are definitely memorable moments.

A lot of cultural events take place in Idanha-a-Velha and it continues to be visited and studied by archaeologists doing investigative work.

The village of fairy tales situated in the granitic massif of Gardunha mountain range that creates in the south an amphitheatre where Castelo Novo is.

There are old,  traditionally built houses.The village presents traces of roman times.

Stately houses are present in streets of the village.The water coming from the hill from fountains and streams makes a soothing sound  that’s heard throughout the village.

The cherry is cultivated in this region. In the Spring and end of Summer you can see the unique show that is the blooming of the flower of the cherry trees and the harvest of “the best cherries in the World”.

From Castelo Novo you can watch the beautiful scenery of the sun on the plains and the  outlines of the hills in the horizont.Time will seem to slow down…

Near the border with Spain there’s a village called Penha Garcia. It’s an old village with some particularities that attract lovers of nature and paleontology. In its cliffs  there is a collection of ichnofossils that are more than 500 million years old. This rare and precious collection makes scholars and curious people follow a well organized fossil route.

It is called the lizard-village, for the way it spreads along the hillside while it delights in the sun’s presence. It’s beautiful and harmonious houses are made out of quartzite from the region. In the valley near the village runs the river Ponsul where old water mills can still be seen.

Its origins were lost with time, having performed with its castle the role of observing and defending the border.It’s proximity with Spain facilitated, in not so distant times, contraband. You can experience the contraband route with its stories and paths in this visit to Penha Garcia.

The hot springs of Monfortinho with its special waters is just a few kilometers away and it’s a good option for resting for the thermalism lovers.

The view that surrounds it, the neverending sky, the proximity to Spain makes this visit a very special one.

No words can describe the heritage of “open sky” that this village has… It’s bewildering! Located at around 760 meters in altitude, Sortelha is surrounded by walls, with an imposing castle (XIII century), that combines romantic, gothic and manueline elements. The castle is recognized and a national monument.

The imposing mountain view of Porta Nova, one of the entrances to the village, is unforgettable. There are unique places full of magic that have served as settings for various films and various monuments that are a must to visit: the manueline pillory from the beginning of the XVI century, the old assembly and Sortelha’s prison, Anel Garden, Passo da Via Sacra, and ruins  of Igreja da Misericórdia.

There are vestiges of anthropomorphic tombs digged in the rocks and the most famous attraction: Cabeça da Velha (old lady’s head), a curious granitic formation that’s between Porta Nova and the third entrance to Sortelha, Porta Falsa (or Porta da Traição). It is said that «the old lady of rock» is looking at Estrela mountain range, where Cabeça do Velho (old man’s head) is located.

The excellent local gastronomy and traditional stores with sweets, licors and cheeses of unbeatable flavors make it hard not to give in to gluttony.

In the district of Portalegre, natural park of the São Mamede mountain range, at more than 800 meters in altitude lies the majestic walled village of Marvão in the peak of Sapoio mountain range. As José Saramago wrote “From Marvão you can see the whole land”…

It was inhabited by Romans and Muslims that left a vast heritage in terms of history and architecture, After the Cristian Renaissance, Marvão received one of the first charters from Alentejo in 1226 by D. Sancho II and at that time the medieval castle of Marvão was built. People that go up the castle will be dazzled with the view of S. Mamede mountain range.

The fallen houses, typical of Alentejo, in the walls interior, give a special harmony to the village that’s protected by walls with picturesque nooks.

For example, the manueline pillory, the gothic windows, the forged iron balconies are very special parts not to be missed, as well as the visit to the gothic convent of Senhora da Estrela, the churches of Santiago, Espirito Santo and Santa Maria.

But the natural beauty surrounds the village with S. Mamede mountain range and its sceneries! Rural farming landscapes influenced by humans are contrasted with wild environments of waterfalls and forests.

Marvão is interesting all year long, with festivities with rich cultures that cover the scope of music, gastronomy and hunting. Some of the best wines in Alentejo are produced in the São Mamede mountain range.

A culturally rich village that lies on a beautiful hill. Belmonte’s history is regularly associated with Pedro Albares Cabral, the navigator that discovered Brazil, since he was born here and his father was the first mayor of the village.

Belmonte took in the last Crypto-Jewish community in the Iberian Peninsula. This community did not forego its faith, but, as they couldn’t practice it in public, they resorted to secretly doing it, giving rise to crypto-judaism, that kept the jewish traditions of “new christians”, descendents of old portuguese judaism, alive.

The jewish patrimony is immense, from the Tower of Centum Cellas to Vila Romana de Fórnea, the houses of Direita street where you can see jewish marks in the granite.

You can’t visit Belmonte without seeing the jewish cemetery, the Bet Eliahu synagogue and the jewry that are still places of worship and festivity for the jewish community. In the Jewish museum you can appreciate many pieces that were hidden for centuries due to persecution by the Inquisition.

Gastronomy wise, this community follows the kosher tradition.Translated into english, kosher means “adequate” or “good”, meaning all that is adequate for consumption in jewish tradition. The rules were created in search of a purer eating style that nourishes the body and soul.