Page 304 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Portugal
P. 304
Castelo de Alter do Chão
" ⌂ Largo Barreto Caldeira
Did You Know? # May–Sep: 10am–12:20pm,
3–7pm Tue–Sun; Oct–Apr:
9am–12:30pm, 2–5:30pm EAT
Most Lusitano horses,
Portugal’s national Tue–Sun A Cadeia
breed, are grey – but Coudelaria de Alter Quinhentista
Alter Real are brown. " ⌂ 3 km (2 miles) NW of dine in a former 16th-
It’s not often you can
EXPERIENCE Alentejo 7 Sun ¢ 1 Jan, 24 & 25 Dec century prison. This
town § 245 610 060 # Tue–
stylish conversion
serves Alentejan
specialities.
8
Alter do Chão
F5 ⌂ Rua Rainha
Elvas
! E4 @ n Palácio do
§ 268 323 400
Álamo; 245 610 004
! F5 £ @ n Praça da
¡¡¡
República; 268 622 236 Santa Isabel, Estremoz
The Romans founded Civitas
Abelterium in 204 BC, but Only 12 km (7 miles) from the Flor da Rosa
razed it under the Emperor Spanish border, Elvas feels
Hadrian after the inhabitants like a frontier town. The old This restaurant inside a
were accused of disloyalty. town’s fortifications are among former monastery has a
menu that favours
The town was re-estab lished the best preserved in Europe. regional cuisine.
in the 13th century. Within the walls, a few archi-
Dominating the town centre tectural features and many F4 ⌂ Rua do Mosteiro
is the five-towered Castelo of the street names are da Flor da Rosa 10, Crato
de Alter do Chão with a reminders that for 500 years ∑ pousadas.pt
Gothic portal built in 1359 the town was in Moorish hands. ¡¡¡
by Pedro I. The flower-filled Elvas was liberated from
market square, the Largo Doze the Moors in 1230, but for
Melhores de Alter, is at its feet. another 600 years its fate was
Alter is best known for the to swing between periodic
Coudelaria de Alter, which attacks from Spain. remod el ling over the years,
was founded in 1748 to breed Romano-Moorish in origin, notably in the late 15th
the Alter Real. King José I the Castelo de Elvas was century under João II. The
(1750–77) yearned for a quality rebuilt for Sancho II in king’s coat of arms, incorpor-
Portuguese-bred horse. He 1226. It underwent further ating a peli can, is seen above
imported a stock of Andalusian
mares, which were known for
their prowess in war, to breed
with local horses. From these
Spanish pure-breds came the
gracious and nimble Alter Real
(“real” means royal). The stud
prospered until the Napoleonic
Wars (1807–15), when stealing
and erratic breeding sent the
Alter into decline. By 1930, the
royal horse was nearly extinct,
but years of dedication have
ultimately revived this classic
breed. The stud is set around
attractive stables painted in
the royal livery of white and
ochre. Accommodation is
available here.
Spanning the Seda river
12 km (7 miles) west along the
N369 is the robust six-arched
Ponte de Vila Formosa. This Arches of the great
bridge carried the Roman road aqueduct that once
from Lisbon to Mérida in Spain. brought water to Elvas
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