2018 - April : AAA trip to Castelo de Vide and surrounding area
In April AAA members and friends enjoyed a 4-day trip travelling up to the lovely town of Castelo de Vide in the Portalegre district of the Alentejo which was our base for the three nights.
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The area around Castelo de Vide is well known for the purity of its water and the Vitalis company has a bottling plant nearby. There are fountains in the town with potable water where locals can collect water and some of our group took advantage of this to top up their supplies! During our stay we travelled through beautiful countryside with fields of wild flowers, sparkling brooks and streams. The geology of the region is particularly stunning with huge granite outcrops dominating the landscape.
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On our first day we were taken on a tour of Castelo de Vide by Gloria, the guide from the local tourist office. We visited the castle and the interesting old Jewish quarter with its narrow, hilly streets of old houses and the synagogue. In the evening we dined in the Casa de Parque restaurant, being made very welcome by the patron and his son.
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The following day we travelled to the nearby Roman town of Ammaia. Through the use of geophysical surveys and the construction of a model, it is possible to see the extent of this once important and impressive town, much of which is yet to be excavated. Our guide Antonio led us around the on-site museum which included an excellent video about the town and its development. The finds on display reflect the daily lives of the inhabitants and include ceramics, jewellery and items relating to industry, agriculture and religion. We then walked through the site and saw the remains of the Roman forum, the baths and the southern gateway of the ancient town. |
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In the afternoon, free time was spent in the lovely medieval town of Marvão which is perched on the top of a high granite outcrop of the São Marmede Mountain. |
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On the next day, we drove across the nearby border to Spain, to Valencia de Alcantara, where we met our guides Antonio Raposo and his colleagues. They took us to see examples of the fantastic megalithic monuments in the area. These large granite dolmens date from the Chalcolithic period (4000-3000 years BC) and would have held an important place in the landscape of the people during that time. We had lunch in a beautiful converted monastry in the village of São Pedro and in the afternoon were taken on a guided tour of Valencia de Alcantara. |
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During our final day, before returning to the Algarve, we visited Viana do Alentejo to tour the castle and the church situated within its grounds. Everyone agreed that this had been an excellent excursion to an area of great interest, beautiful countryside and tranquility.
