Walking through the fields in this Alto Alentejo countryside, horses gambol around you. Splash across the small stream and look up at the hill before you. A towering eucalyptus tree near its top stands out in the landscape, and you make for it. As you climb the hill, the trees clear out and you see …
Also known as: Tholos do Outeiro das Mós August 2024: The site is currently undergoing repairs and cannot be visited. In the Neolithic era, about 4,000BC, an artificial cave was dug on this site. It had a corridor and central burial chamber with side niches. Later, a large tholos was built. The site was used …
Also known as: Anta de Vilarinho da Castanheira Picnic tables invite you to sit, rest, and refresh yourself. The pine trees sway and whisper softly in the breeze. Meanwhile, the ancient stone construction reminds you that people were here thousands of years ago, making their own special place. Look closely: what secrets might it hold? …
ALSO IDENTIFIED AS: Dólmen 2 (or Anta 2) de Chão Redondo, or Monumentos Megalíticos do Chão de Redondo From a distance, it doesn’t seem very extraordinary. There’s a remnant of the large mound of stone and earth which originally covered the prehistoric tomb. The tomb itself looks fairly typical of an average-sized neo-chalcolithic chamber tomb. …
Also known as: Anta da Herdade das Comendas It’s not a famous site, or one particularly noteworthy for archaeological artefacts. The farmer’s fence keeps you from walking in and around the stones. It’s easy to overlook while rushing down the road. But, if you take the time to stop and walk along the edge of …
Also known as: Antas da Tapada As you drive out of Pavia, heading towards Estremoz, it’s tempting to put the boot down and save time. But slow down and look to your left. Less than a kilometer out of town, lies a beautiful example of prehistoric architecture. Nestled under a tree, on a small hill, …
In the quiet countryside of the Alto Alentejo, the water of the Santa Margarida stream flows slowly down to the Montargil reservoir. Along its banks, if you look carefully among the trees and bushes, lie two prehistoric tombs made of schist. They’ve endured some rough handling through the ages since they were built, both by …
ALSO KNOWN AS: Dólmen de Antelas, or in English: the painted dolmen of Antelas On a small dirt road, in the deep interior of central Portugal, rises a small hill. Go around to the back and you find that this is no normal hill: it is an artificial mound. A tumulus, or (in Portuguese) a …
Also called: Tholos of Cumeada On a hill in the heart of the Algarve, a bare dead tree holds vigil over an ancient megalithic tomb. The surrounding hills provide a backdrop of forest and low scrub, leaving the stones standing out under the hot sun. In the quiet, the millennia that stretch between its construction …
Sitting in the quiet & peaceful church, you can contemplate faith and history at the same time. The church itself dates back to the 16th century, and the hundreds of years of devotion has permeated the azulejo tiles, marble altar, and beautiful stained-glass windows devoted to its patron saint. Then you turn and enter the …