Page 117 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Lisbon

THE LISBON C O AST  115

marshes with patches of pine
forest, which has been explored
and inhabited since 3500 BC.
Otters, water birds (including
storks and herons), oysters and a
great variety of fish are found in
the reserve. The old water mill at
Mouriscas, 5 km (3 miles) east of
Setúbal, uses the different levels
of the tide to turn the grinding
stones. Rice-growing and fishing
are the main occupations today,
and pine trees around the
lagoon are tapped for resin.
O Reserva Natural do Estuário
do Sado View over Alcácer do Sal and the Sado river from the castle
n Praça da República, Setúbal
(265 541 157). raised on stilts. From here to made an inland trading
Alcácer do Sal, great stretches port here, and the castle
u Península de of pine forest line the road, later became a Roman
and there are the first glimpses
stronghold. Rebuilt by the
Tróia of the cork oak countryside Moors, it was conquered by
typical of the Alentejo region. Afonso II in 1217. The buildings
g Tróia. @ n Travessa Frei
Gaspar 10 (265 539 130). have now taken on a new life
T Cetóbriga as a pousada (see p122), with
High-rise holiday apartments N253-1. Tel 265 499 400. Open May– views over the rooftops.
dominate the tip of the Tróia Oct: 10am–1pm, 3–5:30pm Tue–Sat There are pleasant cafés
Peninsula, easily accessible from (Jun–Aug: to 6:30pm); Oct–May: along the riverside promenade
Setúbal by ferry. The Atlantic 10am–1pm, 3–5:30pm Sat only. & and several historic churches.
coast, stretching south for 18 km The 18th-century Santo
(11 miles) of untouched sandy António holds a marble
beaches, is now the haunt of i Alcácer do Sal Chapel of the 11,000
sun-seekers in the summer. * 14,000. @ £ n Largo Luís de Virgins, while the Cripta
Near Tróia, in the sheltered Camões (265 247 013). ( 1st Sat Arquelógica exhibits finds
lagoon, the Roman town of of month. dating from the Iron Age to
Cetóbriga was the site of a the modern era. The bullring
thriving fish-salting business; Bypassed by the main road, is a focus for summer events
the stone tanks and ruined the ancient town of Alcácer and hosts the agricultural fair
buildings are open to visit. To do Sal (al-kasr from the Arabic in October.
the south, smart holiday villas for castle, and do sal from its
and golf clubs are springing trade in salt) sits peacefully E Cripta Arqueológico
up along the lagoon. on the north bank of the Sado Castelo de Alcácer do Sal. n 265
Further on, Carrasqueira river. The imposing castle was 612 058. Open 9:30am–1pm,
is an old fishing community a hillfort as early as the 6th 3–6:30pm (summer); 9am–noon,
where you can still see century BC. The Phoenicians 2–5:30pm (winter).
traditional reed houses,
with walls and roofs made
from thatch. The narrow fishing Birds of the Tagus and
boats moored along the mud Sado Estuaries
flats are reached by walkways Many water birds, including black-
winged stilts, avocets, Kentish plovers
and pratincoles, are found close to
areas of open water and mud flats
as well as the dried-out lagoons of
the Tagus and Sado estuaries. Reed-
beds also provide shelter for nesting
and support good numbers of little
bitterns, purple herons and marsh
harriers. From September to March,
the area around the Tagus estuary
is extremely important for wildfowl Black-winged stilt, a wader that
Thatched fisherman’s cottage in the village and wintering waders. feeds in the estuaries
of Carrasqueira

114-115_EW_Lisbon.indd 115 17/10/16 11:06 am