Anta-Capela de São Dinis

Also called: Anta de Pavia The enormous dolmen stands proudly in the square, grey and hulking beside the traditional yellow and white Alentejana buildings. It presents its original rear towards the square, but as you head around to its entrance its transformation becomes clear. The squared-off stone entranceway replaces the original corridor, and the cross …

Dólmen or Anta-Capela of St. Mary Magdalene

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 …

Menir dos Almendres

As you follow the well-trodden (and well-worn!) path, with wired fences on either side of you, you get the feeling that you are simply being herded to something very pedestrian and unimpressive. The nearby farm buildings do nothing to allay you of your suspicions that you are wasting your time. And then the fences fall …

Tomb of Santa Rita

The Algarve is known for its sunshine and beautiful beaches, but if you’re faced with a foggy Atlantic morning, it’s a perfect opportunity to pay a visit to the Megalithic Tomb of Santa Rita. The eerie silence, trees looming out of the fog, the sense of isolation …all lend themselves perfectly to the exploration of …

photograph of Menir de Aspradantes standing stone, with view to far hills

Menir de Aspradantes

Standing on a ridge of a hill, looking over the fields in the western Algarve, the silence belies the hum of traffic on the distant motorway and the whirr of the towering wind turbines on the far hills. These monumental emblems of the modern age of electricity seem to mock the tiny stone standing alone …

Anta de Agualva

Also called: Anta do Carrascal The buzz of traffic is fairly constant. People and dogs come walking by frequently. This is an urban setting, with houses and apartment blocks, shops and businesses all around. You walk along cement pathways, and approach the tomb along wooden boardwalks. There it lies, surrounded by green hedges, nestled in …