Also known as: Núcleo Megalítico da Ordem, Antas do Monte da Ordem, Antas da Herdade da Ordem Walking through the pasture, keeping an eye on the herd of cows, you can feel the Alentejo sun beat down on your head. Duck underneath the irrigation mechanism. Follow the dirt track that leads towards the farmhouse. At …
Also known as: Povoado Calcolítico (“Chalcolithic settlement”) or Povoado fortificado (“fortified settlement”) of Vila Nova de São Pedro Stand on the hilltop and look around the surrounding area. Across the river valley, you can see surrounding hilltops and, off in the distance, mountain ranges. It’s a secure location, and it feels even more secure when …
A fallen and broken stone, originally part of a menhir or standing stone. The stone is broken, and is lying beside the road as part of a stone border. It very likely was originally situated somewhere else, possibly in a field. The museum in Portimão has a display that says this is a “large monolith” …
Portuguese: Museu da Escrita Sudoeste de Almodôvar (MESA) The characters tease you: they look familiar, and they obviously convey a message. What is it? It’s impossible to say. Someday we may decipher all the symbols, but for now they remain enigmatic, leaving us to wonder at the people who lived here before the Romans. This …
NOTE: “Dinosaurs” in Portuguese can be either dinossáurios or dinossauros. This site is listed officially as “Pegadas de dinossáurios” but some sites refer to it as “Pegadas de dinossauros.” Also known as: Jazida de pegadas… (“Site of footprints..”) English name: Dinosaur footprints of Vale de Meios The rock quarry shelf stretches out before you, extending …
Also known as: Praia Jurássica de São Bento, Sítio Paleontológico do Cabeço da Ladeira English name: Jurassic Beach A walk on the beach is always lovely in Portugal. This one, however, is on top of a mountain and there’s no cool water anywhere! It’s a fossilized beach in the heart of the Serras de Aire …
In Portuguese: Museu de Vila do Bispo, also known as: Celeiro da História (“The Granary of History”) Come into this restored granary, and walk through the history of the region. From dinosaurs to the modern day, a carefully and artistically designed space guides you through the huge spaces of the old warehouses, teaching you and …
Stand on the rock ledge as the waves crash beneath you. The strange holes in the rock ledge weren’t created by an accident of geology. They are the footprints that a dinosaur made, a hundred million years ago. Careful: don’t let the yawning chasm of time make you dizzy, or you’ll fall into the sea …
Standing on the huge rock slab, you can see most of the beach. People walking up and down, leaving footprints that get washed away by the waves. Down at your feet, marvel at the footprints that won’t get washed away. They’ve lasted millions of years, and will no doubt still be there long after you …
Standing alone in a private garden, this stone proudly displays ancient carvings. (photographs graciously provided by one of our readers) This is a cylindrical menir, with the top broken. It is decorated with vertical bands of carved waving lines. (Serpentiform?) The menir was re-erected on the site where it was found by the landowner. Menir …