Portalegre
The town of Portalegre is a wonderful place to visit. Stunning views from a fortified hilltop town provide spectacular views of the surrounding countryside, and a good dose of prehistoric wealth can be found across the region. During the sweltering summer months in the Portuguese interior, a spate of dams (barragem) provide the ideal backdrop for water activities and a cooling plunge for the active or overheated.
Things to see and do in Portalegre
Portalegre is located near the Spanish border on the green slopes of the São Mamede mountains, which has been converted into a national park with defined walking trails and an abundance of varied animals ranging from wild boar and red deer to vultures and eagles.
The top of São Mamede, at over 3000 feet, is a short drive away along a winding route with magnificent views.
The town’s substantial defences have seen much combat, withstanding a five-month siege by Dom Dinis in the 13th century and several others afterwards. During the early 1800s Peninsular War, British troops on the Portuguese side were stationed here.
Museu Municipal de Portalegre
The town’s municipal museum is housed in a stunning 16th-century structure that was formerly the diocesan seminary. It was acquired by a local lord in the 18th century and remodelled into a magnificent house, and this is the layout that remains today.
The museum’s collection is mostly comprised of liturgical art culled from the town’s two dissolved convents, Santa Clara and So Bernardo, and some of these pieces are outstanding.
There is an Indo-Portuguese ivory sculpture of the Virgin Mary, a Japanese missal stand from the 1500s, and a 1500s altarpiece with polychrome clay bible passages.
The remainder of the collection includes silver snuffboxes, exquisite faience, and furnishings.
Portalegre Cathedral
The town’s cathedral is a National Monument; it was built in the 16th century on the site of an ancient mediaeval church by King John III.
It dominates Portalegre from its apex and, combined with its bishop palace, forms an imposing Mannerist ensemble.
The interior’s current look dates from the late 18th century when it was given a Neoclassical makeover, but there are also remnants of the 16th and 17th centuries. The white marble pulpits and 96 painted panels from the 1500s and 1600s are particularly noteworthy.
Convento de São Bernardo
Perhaps the most photographed feature in Portalegre is the ochre and white walls of this monastery, as well as the cobblestone square and fountain in front.
The convent was established in the 1500s to shelter “maidens without dowry.” There is a mixture of architecture from many eras, but the highlights are from the 1500s and were completed by French sculptor Nicolas de Chantereine.
He sculpted the marble pulpit with its grotesques, as well as the magnificent tomb of the convent’s founder, Bishop Jorge de Melo.
Additionally, there is a quiet cloister with arcades lined with blue and white panels.
Museu da Tapeçaria de Portalegre
Since the Middle Ages, weaving has been a traditional craft in Portalegre, but in the 1940s, entrepreneur Guy Fino and weaver Manuel do Celestino Peixeiro developed a new tapestry-making process.
This is known as Ponto de Portalegre, and while it was inspired in part by Roubaix tapestries, it has its unique style.
Portalegre quickly developed a reputation for creativity and workmanship, rivalling those of Flanders and France.
All of this history is detailed on the bottom floor of this museum, illustrating the origins and practises of the Portalegre Manufactory. Upstairs, specimens of this art form are shown, introducing some of the town’s accomplished weavers over the previous 70 years.
Portalegre
Portalegre’s castle is located in the city’s oldest section and rises above a labyrinth of small lanes. It fell under siege several times throughout the 13th and 14th century’ dynastic crisis and civil wars. Little remains, save for a section of the keep where a contemporary wood and glass frame has been constructed to assist with navigating. The surrounding streets are quiet yet worth exploring for their beautifully dishevelled whitewashed buildings with vibrant trim. Additionally, five of the city’s original seven gates have survived, the most photogenic of which is the 13th-century Porta de Alegrete. Additionally, in Praça da Repblica, visit the Palacio Achaioli, an 18th-century mansion that has been turned into a university.
Roman Ruins of Ammaia
The remnants of a Roman settlement having 2,000 people are located in the São Mamede Natural Park, which borders Portalegre. Outside, there is much to see, including the city’s gateway, remnants of the forum and temple, a huge mansion (called the Quinta do Deão), and thermal baths. Many of these relics were discovered just lately since the site was first excavated in the 1990s.
Numerous artefacts were discovered, particularly around the baths, and a large number have been donated to the National Museum of Archaeology in Lisbon. However, the location features a charming small museum with a film presentation and displays of jewellery, kitchenware, pottery, and blown glass.
Convento de Santa Clara
This 14th-century convent, which is currently home to the city’s library, is another of Portalegre’s National Monuments. That does not diminish its importance, since you must enter to marvel at the Gothic cloister. This was constructed during King Fernando I’s (16-year reign) and is considered to be Portugal’s sole surviving cloister from that era. It is surrounded by two layers of galleries, while the tranquil garden is on the ground level. In the centre is a 1500s marble fountain.
Serra de São Mamede Natural Park
Intrepid spirits will be eager to climb the chain of quartzite mountains that surrounds the city to the north and west.
This region is some of the wildest in western Europe, providing a home for endangered species such as genets, Iberian lynxes, and Iberian wolves, as well as bats, wild boar, and hundreds of deer.
There are cork oak, eucalyptus, pine, and sweet chestnut woods to explore on foot or by bicycle, as well as evidence of prehistoric civilizations in the form of megaliths and rock art. You may have your sights set on the Serra de São Mamede, the highest peak in the range, which rises to a little over 1,000 metres. From the peak, views extend into Spain and as far north as the Serra da Estrela in Portugal, 150 kilometres to the north.
