Page 288 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Portugal

GETTING TO KNOW

SOUTHERN

PORTUGAL
EXPERIENCE Southern Portugal Most people imagine manicured golf courses, smart resort hotels and

water parks when they think of Southern Portugal. But a short journey inland
reveals vast rolling plains of golden wheat and silver olive trees, vineyards,
and pretty whitewashed villages. Home to storks nesting in spring and
fields still tended by horse and cart, this bucolic region is also rich in history,
from Neolithic dolmens to Roman temples and medieval castles.

ALENTEJO Best for
Castles and countryside
PAGE 292 The sun-baked Alentejo occupies nearly one-third of Home to
Portugal, between the Tagus and the Algarve. Its capital,
Évora, Paço Ducal
Évora, is home to Stone Age relics and a well-preserved
Roman temple, as well as the lively Praça do Giraldo. Experience
To the southeast, the labrynthine white towns of Serpa A walk along the Rota Vicentina
(also known as the Trilho dos
and Mértola interrupt the largely rural terrain while, Pescadores), a long-distance hike
nearer the Spanish frontier, massive fortifications still made up of former fishermen’s
shelter Castelo de Vide and Monsaraz. To the west of the paths along the coast
Alentejo’s southern plains, surfers flock to windswept
beaches, and small former fishing villages such as Vila
Nova de Milfontes make great low-key destinations.

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