24 hours in Arraiolos: Rugs, food & wine in the Alentejo
Set amongst rolling plains dotted with olive trees and cork oaks, Arraiolos is a small Alentejo town – not far from Lisbon or Évora – with a cool and unique craft culture. Over centuries, women of the quiet vila have hand-stitched a legacy of carpet weaving. I’ve visited Arraiolos several times over the years, drawn […]
1-Day hike: The most beautiful section of Portugal’s Fishermen’s Trail
Besides the caminho, mainland Portugal’s most famous multi-day hike must be the gorgeous Costa Vicentina’s Fishermen’s Trail. The 226.5-km (140-mile) coastal trail stretches along the south-west coast of Portugal, almost always with the ocean in sight. I’ve long been curious about hiking at least part of the trail, and spending a few nights in Porto […]
Hotel Review: A weekend at Hotel Convento de São Paulo
Alentejo sunsets always feel a little unreal – like someone’s nudged the saturation just slightly too far. That warm evening glow was our welcome to Hotel Convento de São Paulo, a place that had felt like a myth in my mind. We arrived as the sun was dropping low behind the Serra d’Ossa, after a […]
Explore Redondo, Portugal’s best-kept pottery secret
For more than 500 years the people of Redondo have dug their hands into the terra, digging up clay to make earthenware pottery with the heart and soul of the Alentejo. Both wine and pottery production flourished in Redondo in the 19th century, and it continues to be the Alentejo town’s most important artisan craft. […]
Bottomless wine and secret cellars: Redondo’s tasca and talha trail
Hidden tascas, endless vinho, and the soulful chorus of Cante Alentejano – was it just another Saturday afternoon in the Alentejo? When I want to really feel the heart and soul of Portugal, I like to dash out to the Alentejo region. Here in the villages, dotted between olive groves and forests of cork oaks, […]
How to spend 48 hours in Évora
Évora is an incredible small city where you can soak up history, dive into local gastronomy, or just slow down and enjoy the Alentejo’s famously relaxed pace. The UNESCO-listed centre is a time capsule of Roman, Moorish, and medieval influences, yet Évora has an energetic and youthful vibe. I live in Lisbon and have visited […]
The average person’s guide to A-list Comporta: Portugal’s luxe beach town
Some of Portugal’s most spectacular stretch of coastline is found just over an hour south of Lisbon. The golden sands around the Comporta region are some of the most wild, natural, and pristine in the whole country. Here pine forests bump up against vast sand dunes, gorgeous beaches back onto fields of rice, and local […]
Portuguese artisans: 11 traditional crafts from the Alentejo
I love meeting local artisans, watching them work, and hearing their stories. Here in Portugal, I regularly visit craft fairs and workshops to meet the people who work with their hands, often continuing a family trade many generations in the making. One Portuguese region that stands out for its strong traditional crafts and artisans is […]
Meet Portugal’s last cowbell makers: Chocalhos Pardalinho
Saving the voice of the fields The Alentejo is a land of slow living, where the beautiful landscape unfolds like a painting. The soundtrack to the ancient olive groves and frozen centennial cork trees is the gentle ding, ding, ding of cowbells. It’s not uncommon to cross paths with a shepherd, letting his flock roam free […]
18 best places to visit in the Alentejo: prettiest villages, towns and cities
The Alentejo region is easily one of my favourite parts of Portugal to explore. There’s something instantly relaxing about being out in the countryside, passing fields where sheep and black pigs graze beneath cork tree forests and ancient olive groves. With each vineyard and whitewashed village that flashes by the car or train window, time […]
Portugal’s pottery village: Why you should visit São Pedro do Corval
In the heart of the Alentejo, surrounded by fields of ancient olive groves, cork trees, and almonds lies Portugal’s pottery village: São Pedro do Corval. This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Portuguese village has made a name for itself as the largest pottery centre in the Iberian Peninsula. Across a handful of streets you’ll find almost two dozen pottery […]
20 things to do in Évora, the Alentejo capital
History doesn’t have to be something you experience only in textbooks. In Évora you can touch, taste, and experience the marks left by ancient civilisations. From the remains of a Roman temple to the grandeur of its medieval cathedral, the capital of Portugal’s relaxed Alentejo region is a living, breathing museum of the country’s storied […]