In brief: In a rainy off-season, we finally had the chance to visit this old fortified town.
“Oh, you must visit Monsaraz!” “You must visit Monsaraz!” We’ve known about this walled hilltop town in the Alentejo for years but missed it when we toured around the wine country of eastern Portugal. So, on the way back from Andalucia, we stopped for a short visit during the chilly, rainy off-season. The town was quiet, but livelier (and dryer) than expected. And we could leisurely connect with local shopkeepers and café owners while enjoying the vistas.
(Note: We recognize how fortunate we were to be able to travel a bit like this despite the continuing flood and storm damage in many parts of Portugal and Spain. We hope that those much more affected soon find relief and an end to this calamity.)
Late sun in the afternoon gave us a lovely overview of the fields, olive trees, and vineyards below.
The castle and walls date from the 13th century under Afonso III, though modernized in the 16th century to confront the neighboring Spaniards. This plaza used to host bullfights; now it’s a festival space.
Typical narrow lane and medieval structures, as seen from our cozy hotel room in the middle of town.
The baroque church of Monsaraz was not open and had suffered some damage from the persistent storms of this season.
Several lanes head out of the plaza around the church, including the Rua Direita straight ahead toward the main tower of Monsaraz.
A wall-top view over the huge reservoir of Alqueva Lake, the largest in Europe. Fed by the Guadiana River from Spain, it spans the border.
One of the many gates to the city
The variable weather painted some interesting skies, including rainbows and this shaft of light in the evening. A sign of hope for a calmer time?
(To enlarge any picture above, click on it. Also, for more about Portugal from 2025, CLICK HERE to view the Portugal page and slideshow. Or CLICK HERE for articles between 2017 and 2024.)
