Monsaraz

Mystical location where we a toured the village, did wine tasting at Ervideira Winery in an old school house, and had a wonderful lunch at Taverna Os Templários overlooking the valley and lake into Spain. Lake Alqueva is the largest artificial lake in Europe.

The medieval village of Monsaraz is a true marvel of Portugal, Perched high up on a hilltop it offers amazing views of the surrounding Alentejo countryside and Lake Alqueva. It’s a small village surrounded by historic walls and at one end a 13th century castle. This part of Portugal is often called the land that time forgot. Due to its geographic position, the hilltop of Monsaraz always occupied an important place in the history of the municipality, having been occupied by different peoples since the pre-historical record. Monsaraz was reorganized during the Roman occupation, and was later successively occupied by the Visigoths, Arabs, Mozarabs, Jews, and, after the Reconquista, Christians loyal to Afonso Henriques.Read more