Alentejo: Hidden Gem of Portugal

The Alentejo (pronounced "Allen-TEJ-oh") region of Portugal is called the "Breadbasket of Portugal" because of its variety of bread products made from all the wheat grown there.

After driving around in the Alentejo for a leisurely visit, we call it also the "Tuscany of Portugal."

Why? Because its landscape is so similar to that region of Italy, with vast hilly fields, occasional whitewashed houses, small hill towns usually capped by an ancient castle that dominates the scene, delicious local cuisine, lots of open space and agriculture, a sparse population but when you find them, warm, friendlly people.

View slideshow: Alentejo travel

You could even call Santarem, the only town of any size with a semblance of urbanity but lots of ancient history, the Siena of Portugal, with its many religious buildings, its Moorish influenced architecture, its blue and white tile-decorated public buildings, and its 14th-Century Nossa Senhora de Graca Church with the most beautiful rose window in Portugal.

While most tourists in Tuscany rent a private home or find a bed and breakfast, the Alentejo region has numerous pousadas or inns, scattered throughout the countryside, and many of them are former convents or castles, the better to evoke a sense of history to your night's lodging. Of course, in most cases, the ancient pousadas have been renovated for the comfort of the 21st Century traveler, with modern bathrooms and fine restaurants and swimming pools, as well as stunning modern art works, while the ancient character of the architecture has been carefully retained. We visited the Monastery of Flor da Rosa, which since its 14th Century origin has been a monastery, a church and a palace. At the end of the 20th Century the Flor da Rosa was converted into a pousada, now called Pousada do Crato Flor da Rosa, adding a modern hotel wing, and in the 21st Century we saw the ultra modern statuary which has added both mystery and fun to the decor, and the pousada is now declared a National Monument.

The pousada is not far from the Alter Real stud farm in the Alter do Chao region of Alentejo, which houses the internationallly famous Lusitania horses. Originally bred for the Royal Equestrian School, now the Portuguese School of Equestrian Arts, it houses the carriage and harness museum, the horse museum, and the School of Falconry. The most spectacular sight here is the daily release of the mares into the open pasture, and you can also watch how trainers in the riding school teach the precise way of getting these beautiful horses to step sideways by crossing their hooves, and turning their shoulders down to make turns.

Stay at the nearby Hotel Lusitano with an ancient and a modern section of rooms and a modern swimming pool, and a wonderful restaurant that makes use of the area's delicious cuisine of fish, duck, sardines, wild asparagus in a bread puree, olives, deep fried green beans, almond paste, chestnut cream, egg pastries, cheeses and quantities of fine red local wine. It is said that in a true Alentejan's house, whether rich or poor, the table is always set. This is certainly true in an Alentejan's pousada or boutique hotel!

You can also ride the Lusitano horses right from this hotel.

And you can take a one-week cooking school to learn how to prepare the traditional foods of the Alentejo region as well as the wine-making process through PortugalCooking.com.

The Alentejo lies in the lower third of Portugal, just above the better known Algarve region. And while the Algarve is known for its beaches, the Alentejo has beaches, too, and you can kayak, swim, waterski, surf or body board and take part in all the watersports of the Algarve here, as well as golfing, biking, and many other land activities.

So many towns in the Alentejo are built on mountaintops, the better to provide protection from enemies. Such is the stunning town of Castelo de Vide, which castle is famous for its medieval architecture. From the top of the castle you can see a panorama of the entire region, with Spain in the distance, and then stroll through one of Portugal's best-kept Jewish quarters and visit the town's ancient synagogue. Jewish names are evident in the street names here, such as Rua das Espinosas, named after the 17th Century philosopher Spinoza.

Another town high up in the sky is Marvao, with a castle so fortified that neither the armies of Span, just a few miles away, nor France, could take it. On a clear day you can see every major mountain range in southern and central Portugal from the castle.

The Alentejo may not have the marble native to Tuscany, but it has 2000-year-old olive trees, orange trees, and everywhere, cork trees tht provide much of the world's bottle stoppers, as well as fashion items. Handmade pottery abounds, as does embroidery and leather goods.

Of course you must visit Lisbon when you go to Portugl, just as you must stop in Rome or Venice on your way to Tuscany. Not pne of the three cities is a bad tradeoff for getting out to see the countryside.

Flor da Rosa Pousada

A2, direction Evora

telephone 351 266 76 98 00

fax 351 266 76 09 55

Alter Real Stud Farm

Tapad de Ameiro

Aportado 80

telephone 361 245 610 060

Hotel Lusitano

Rua Gi Vicente, 4

2150-193 Golega Portugal

telephone 351 249b979 179