CASTRO VERDE PORTUGAL
Discover Castro Verde in the Alentejo Region of Portugal
by Bert Snijder
Castro Verde, in the core of Campo Branco, has as one of its greatest
attractions, its landscape. Experiencing the climb to such places as S.
Pedro das Cabe or to Nossa Sra. de Aracelis, gives you an
impression of the plain's grandness. The wide cereal steppes shelter
a natural patrimony rich in avifauna, where one can spot species like
the Great Bustard, thanks to recent preservation efforts.
Going into the Environmental Education Centre will allow the visitors
to access the necessary information and gives an opportunity to
participate in properly organized nature trips. Together with the natural
environment, its people are the other great wealth the municipality
has to offer its visitors. It is in this harmony between Man and Nature
that the whole calm of the place might be felt. It is in its simple way of
life, in the action of Man over Nature and of Nature over man, that the
values of this land reside.
A trip throughout the different parishes will allow you to discover white
villages and towns, where the light smells like the south, just as
much as the cuisine of some restaurants has the odour of tradition.
For those looking for more genuine surroundings, going into the local
taverns might just allow an encounter with the traditional singing (the
cante) and the ways of tasting both time and wine. There is a whole
rural tradition cohabiting with a new way of life. Sprayed with little
chapels this plain has in its history roman origins and a strong bond
with its mining activity, but, most of all, it was the stage where the
Ourique Battie unfolded which you can recognize in the theme of the
most important religious monuments.
If what you are looking for is a calm stroll around the municipality,
enjoying the slow passing of time, do not forget to take care of your
accommodation.
We suggest that you should start by the lovely Town of Castro Verde
where you will find a well you should visit the village which is noted for
its religious heritage, like maintained town, besides the kindliness of
the people and the Tourist Office that will be able to give you all the
necessary information. Go to the Remedios Church where historical
paintings allusive to the Ourique Battle stand out, the Royal Basilica
with its remarkable azulejo panels that tell the story of the mythical
battle, and the famous treasure where some of the municipality's
most important pieces of sacred art direction can be admired.
You should continue your visit through the Museum of Lucerna and
the Fairs and Exhibitions Park, where every year the famous Castro
Fair is organized. This renovated space has a working windmill and
an Exhibitions Pavilion. To finish this quick visit town, take notice of
the several examples of public art where there stands out
roundabouts bearing sculptures with the motives of some of the
municipality's main areas of activity sheep breeding hog raising and
pyrite mining.
Take lunch hour and follow to ENTRADAS that has developed into an
enjoyable place to sit around a table, where some new restaurants
keep using the traditional cuisine While here The Misericordia Church
(XVIi century), the Mother Church (XVili century) and the Nossa
Senhora da Esperanca chapel (XVi century). Before returning to the
plain, delight yourself with the observation of Nossa Senhora da
Esperanca Avenue and its beautiful gardens. Come back to Castro
Verde and take the EM 535 (in the Casevel direction) to continue your
visit, The wonderful Campo Branco plain is still ahead of you beyond
where the eye can see There are not many elevations which is the
reason for chapels like the Sao Sebastiao in ALMEIRIM to stand out.
Do go through the village and notice the very fine taste in the yellow
and blue colours used on the houses and even on the bus stop. Go
back to the EM 535 and you'll find immediately to your left the S. Miguel
chapel clearly distinguishable amongst some ruins.
Getting to the village of CASEVEL, which was once a municipality in its
own right -but not for long, observe the local architecture where the
Mother Church is most prominent. As to the artistic assets, there is a
unique piece that is most noticeable, an over eight hundred year old
jewellery item, the celebrated Sao Fabiao relicary head that is the
central piece of the Castro Verde's Royal Basilica Treasure.
In the Town of Casevel you will find a good opportunity to come in
contact with the traditional Alentejo's cante and those that give their
voice to it.
The Associacao de Cante "Vozes das Terras Brancas" ("Voices of the
White Lands"), which is just by Largo Central, has its headquarters
open to the public and one can go there to hear the cante, have a
snack and appreciate some traditional tools. Before you go back to
Castro Verde to get some deserved rest, visit AIVADOS and
appreciate the curious chimneys, besides the rest of the local
architecture. Take the sense of OURIQUE-GARE and come back to
Castro Verde, where you can have dinner and spend the night.
Continuing on your way take the EN 123 up to SAO MARCOS DA
ATABOEIRA; the steppe is also a predominant landscape here and
the parish is classified as an ornithological interesting site where
some conservation experiences of local species are underway. In
what concerns the patrimony, this locality invites the visitor to look
carefully to some traditional architectural details, of which the
Parochial Church (XVII century) is a good example.
A few kilometres away from the locality of SAL TO, on the boundaries
of the Mertola municipality, you can find on the top of a hill the Nossa
Senhora de Aracelis chapel, a place of ancestral pilgrimage where
the natural landscape is endowed with unique beauty. Go back to the
EN 123 (in the Castro Verde direction), take a left when you get to the
CM 1138 (in the direction of Sta. Barbara de Padroes) and go all the
way down to a place called ROLAO until you get on to the EM 508.
Take these road, stroll around the village of VISEUS and continue to
SANTA BARBARA DE PADROES. Modernity here comes out at the
roundabout that represents, with nine emblems, the parish's nine
localities. On an archaeological level it was also in Santa Barbara de
Padroes that, around the Mother Church, several hundred original
roman oil-lamps were found, dating back to the first century.
The activity of this parish is deeply connected with its underground
riches, for it is here that one can find the Neves Corvo Mines, the
biggest copper exploitation of all Europe. Go south through the CM
1139, and don't miss BERINGELINHO where you can stop for a little
rest. Afterwards, continue going south and take a left at the CM 1140
to visit SETE, which is the biggest locality in the parish. If you feel like
it you can also visit FIGUEIRINHA and GUERREIRO and come back to
the CM 1139 until you get to LOMBADOR where they still produce,
even if in very small amounts, the artisanal hand-woven woollen
covers. Go and visit A-DO-CORVO where you can appreciate its
Church built in 1984. You have now got to the "end" of the municipality
and you have reached A-DO-NEVES. Take notice of the boundary
limits mark indicating the "way out" and "way in" of the municipality
that has as its motive a sculpture A Window Over the Plain.
Take the EM 508 (in direction to Castro Verde) and come back
through NAMORADOS, which you can see from a distance with its
windmill. On the crossroad that shows the way to Geraldos keep on
going straight for a few metres and pay a visit to MONTE DAS
OLIVEIRAS, a farming and cattle-raising unit, where one can find a
colony of White Storks and a small ethnographic centre on life in the
countryside.
Go back to the crossroad that shows the way to GERALDOS and take
the chance to visit SAO PEDRO DAS CABEAS where the Ourique
Battle is supposed to have taken place. You will find here the S. Pedro
chapel and from this slight elevation you can take in the immense
landscape. The reference to the Ourique battle (fought in 1139) is
pointed out in this spot by a modern evocative monument , with an
armillary sphere and a flagpole.
Go up to Castro Verde and to finish your tour to all the municipality
sites take the EN 123/ IP 2 in the Ourique sense and take a left on the
CM 1134 up to PIARRAS where flower pots give the doors of the
houses a joyful look and where the main square is still the spot for all
gatherings. The tour around the municipality is over, but there is still a
lot more to be seen, not only in the handcraft of the area but also in
the environmental aspects. It is now time to visit the
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTRE OF THE VALE DO
GONALINHO, the departure point to the discovery of the Natural
Patrimony.
It gives you the choice between thematic trips like Avifauna
Observation and Paths in the Special Protection Area. To get there you
should leave the urban area of Castro Verde by the old road to
Entradas (nowadays parallel to the IP 2 -out of Castro Verde through
Av. General Humberto Delgado, from the Rotunda do Minerio) and,
after 7 kms you'll find a sign post showing the way.
The plains landscape gives you the rest and the will to want to stay
longer over here. The traditional cuisine, the sun and the people will
guide you through some very different days!
About the Author
Alentejo Home is the Real Estate specialist in the Alentejo region of
Portugal between Lisbon and the Algarve. Find out how we can make
your dream come true at Alentejo Home Real Estate
Discover Castro Verde in the Alentejo Region of Portugal
by Bert Snijder
Castro Verde, in the core of Campo Branco, has as one of its greatest
attractions, its landscape. Experiencing the climb to such places as S.
Pedro das Cabe or to Nossa Sra. de Aracelis, gives you an
impression of the plain's grandness. The wide cereal steppes shelter
a natural patrimony rich in avifauna, where one can spot species like
the Great Bustard, thanks to recent preservation efforts.
Going into the Environmental Education Centre will allow the visitors
to access the necessary information and gives an opportunity to
participate in properly organized nature trips. Together with the natural
environment, its people are the other great wealth the municipality
has to offer its visitors. It is in this harmony between Man and Nature
that the whole calm of the place might be felt. It is in its simple way of
life, in the action of Man over Nature and of Nature over man, that the
values of this land reside.
A trip throughout the different parishes will allow you to discover white
villages and towns, where the light smells like the south, just as
much as the cuisine of some restaurants has the odour of tradition.
For those looking for more genuine surroundings, going into the local
taverns might just allow an encounter with the traditional singing (the
cante) and the ways of tasting both time and wine. There is a whole
rural tradition cohabiting with a new way of life. Sprayed with little
chapels this plain has in its history roman origins and a strong bond
with its mining activity, but, most of all, it was the stage where the
Ourique Battie unfolded which you can recognize in the theme of the
most important religious monuments.
If what you are looking for is a calm stroll around the municipality,
enjoying the slow passing of time, do not forget to take care of your
accommodation.
We suggest that you should start by the lovely Town of Castro Verde
where you will find a well you should visit the village which is noted for
its religious heritage, like maintained town, besides the kindliness of
the people and the Tourist Office that will be able to give you all the
necessary information. Go to the Remedios Church where historical
paintings allusive to the Ourique Battle stand out, the Royal Basilica
with its remarkable azulejo panels that tell the story of the mythical
battle, and the famous treasure where some of the municipality's
most important pieces of sacred art direction can be admired.
You should continue your visit through the Museum of Lucerna and
the Fairs and Exhibitions Park, where every year the famous Castro
Fair is organized. This renovated space has a working windmill and
an Exhibitions Pavilion. To finish this quick visit town, take notice of
the several examples of public art where there stands out
roundabouts bearing sculptures with the motives of some of the
municipality's main areas of activity sheep breeding hog raising and
pyrite mining.
Take lunch hour and follow to ENTRADAS that has developed into an
enjoyable place to sit around a table, where some new restaurants
keep using the traditional cuisine While here The Misericordia Church
(XVIi century), the Mother Church (XVili century) and the Nossa
Senhora da Esperanca chapel (XVi century). Before returning to the
plain, delight yourself with the observation of Nossa Senhora da
Esperanca Avenue and its beautiful gardens. Come back to Castro
Verde and take the EM 535 (in the Casevel direction) to continue your
visit, The wonderful Campo Branco plain is still ahead of you beyond
where the eye can see There are not many elevations which is the
reason for chapels like the Sao Sebastiao in ALMEIRIM to stand out.
Do go through the village and notice the very fine taste in the yellow
and blue colours used on the houses and even on the bus stop. Go
back to the EM 535 and you'll find immediately to your left the S. Miguel
chapel clearly distinguishable amongst some ruins.
Getting to the village of CASEVEL, which was once a municipality in its
own right -but not for long, observe the local architecture where the
Mother Church is most prominent. As to the artistic assets, there is a
unique piece that is most noticeable, an over eight hundred year old
jewellery item, the celebrated Sao Fabiao relicary head that is the
central piece of the Castro Verde's Royal Basilica Treasure.
In the Town of Casevel you will find a good opportunity to come in
contact with the traditional Alentejo's cante and those that give their
voice to it.
The Associacao de Cante "Vozes das Terras Brancas" ("Voices of the
White Lands"), which is just by Largo Central, has its headquarters
open to the public and one can go there to hear the cante, have a
snack and appreciate some traditional tools. Before you go back to
Castro Verde to get some deserved rest, visit AIVADOS and
appreciate the curious chimneys, besides the rest of the local
architecture. Take the sense of OURIQUE-GARE and come back to
Castro Verde, where you can have dinner and spend the night.
Continuing on your way take the EN 123 up to SAO MARCOS DA
ATABOEIRA; the steppe is also a predominant landscape here and
the parish is classified as an ornithological interesting site where
some conservation experiences of local species are underway. In
what concerns the patrimony, this locality invites the visitor to look
carefully to some traditional architectural details, of which the
Parochial Church (XVII century) is a good example.
A few kilometres away from the locality of SAL TO, on the boundaries
of the Mertola municipality, you can find on the top of a hill the Nossa
Senhora de Aracelis chapel, a place of ancestral pilgrimage where
the natural landscape is endowed with unique beauty. Go back to the
EN 123 (in the Castro Verde direction), take a left when you get to the
CM 1138 (in the direction of Sta. Barbara de Padroes) and go all the
way down to a place called ROLAO until you get on to the EM 508.
Take these road, stroll around the village of VISEUS and continue to
SANTA BARBARA DE PADROES. Modernity here comes out at the
roundabout that represents, with nine emblems, the parish's nine
localities. On an archaeological level it was also in Santa Barbara de
Padroes that, around the Mother Church, several hundred original
roman oil-lamps were found, dating back to the first century.
The activity of this parish is deeply connected with its underground
riches, for it is here that one can find the Neves Corvo Mines, the
biggest copper exploitation of all Europe. Go south through the CM
1139, and don't miss BERINGELINHO where you can stop for a little
rest. Afterwards, continue going south and take a left at the CM 1140
to visit SETE, which is the biggest locality in the parish. If you feel like
it you can also visit FIGUEIRINHA and GUERREIRO and come back to
the CM 1139 until you get to LOMBADOR where they still produce,
even if in very small amounts, the artisanal hand-woven woollen
covers. Go and visit A-DO-CORVO where you can appreciate its
Church built in 1984. You have now got to the "end" of the municipality
and you have reached A-DO-NEVES. Take notice of the boundary
limits mark indicating the "way out" and "way in" of the municipality
that has as its motive a sculpture A Window Over the Plain.
Take the EM 508 (in direction to Castro Verde) and come back
through NAMORADOS, which you can see from a distance with its
windmill. On the crossroad that shows the way to Geraldos keep on
going straight for a few metres and pay a visit to MONTE DAS
OLIVEIRAS, a farming and cattle-raising unit, where one can find a
colony of White Storks and a small ethnographic centre on life in the
countryside.
Go back to the crossroad that shows the way to GERALDOS and take
the chance to visit SAO PEDRO DAS CABEAS where the Ourique
Battle is supposed to have taken place. You will find here the S. Pedro
chapel and from this slight elevation you can take in the immense
landscape. The reference to the Ourique battle (fought in 1139) is
pointed out in this spot by a modern evocative monument , with an
armillary sphere and a flagpole.
Go up to Castro Verde and to finish your tour to all the municipality
sites take the EN 123/ IP 2 in the Ourique sense and take a left on the
CM 1134 up to PIARRAS where flower pots give the doors of the
houses a joyful look and where the main square is still the spot for all
gatherings. The tour around the municipality is over, but there is still a
lot more to be seen, not only in the handcraft of the area but also in
the environmental aspects. It is now time to visit the
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTRE OF THE VALE DO
GONALINHO, the departure point to the discovery of the Natural
Patrimony.
It gives you the choice between thematic trips like Avifauna
Observation and Paths in the Special Protection Area. To get there you
should leave the urban area of Castro Verde by the old road to
Entradas (nowadays parallel to the IP 2 -out of Castro Verde through
Av. General Humberto Delgado, from the Rotunda do Minerio) and,
after 7 kms you'll find a sign post showing the way.
The plains landscape gives you the rest and the will to want to stay
longer over here. The traditional cuisine, the sun and the people will
guide you through some very different days!
About the Author
Alentejo Home is the Real Estate specialist in the Alentejo region of
Portugal between Lisbon and the Algarve. Find out how we can make
your dream come true at Alentejo Home Real Estate
CASTRO VERDE HOTEL
CASTRO VERDE PORTUGAL HOTEL
CASTRO VERDE PORTUGAL
CASTRO VERDE RENTAL
CASTRO VERDE PORTUGAL HOTEL
CASTRO VERDE PORTUGAL
CASTRO VERDE RENTAL
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