Evora: museums, churches and monuments

Our day tour in Evora, beautiful medieval city of Portugal, starts from the central Praca do Giraldo, a large square overlooking the 16th century church of Santo Antao and where there is an ancient marble fountain. Evora can be reached on a day trip from Lisbon, or can be easily visited during a longer itinerary throughout Portugal.

It is said that all the streets and alleys of Evora lead to the central Praca do Giraldo and in fact, every point of the square is the starting point of streets delimited by white-painted houses decorated by ocher-colored lines.

Part of the historical center of Evora is crossed by the imposing aqueduct Agua de Prata (silver water) that arrives in the city from the north-west. This aqueduct was designed by Francisco de Arruda and was completed around the year 1530, with the purpose of supplying Evora with running water. Subsequently, the ancient aqueduct of Evora was partly incorporated into the houses, with the function of a supporting structure.

Our excursion to Evora continues by visiting the church and the monastery of St. Francis (Igreja de Sao Francisco), an impressive building in Gothic-Manueline style, completed around the year 1510 and dedicated to the homonymous saint.

Porta de Moura is a square that houses an unusual Renaissance fountain, built with marble in the 16th century. The water flows from four taps placed around a sphere, ending in a large basin below.

The cathedral of Evora, with its 13th-century statues depicting the apostles, placed near the great portal of access to the church.

The splendid azulejos that completely cover the walls of the Church of St. John in Evora (Igreja de Sao Joao)

Adjacent to the church of St. John, the Convent Dos Loios has been transformed into a luxurious pousada (a traditional hotel), and in the museum the visitors can see ancient books dating back to the 15th century and lot of interesting old things.

If you get to Evora with a private car, it's certainly worth making a short deviation in the surrounding countryside, among the cork oak trees, for which Portugal is a world leader in its cultivation and transformation into lot of handicrafts.

The cork oak is very common in Portugal: the tree only becomes productive at 20-30 years of age, while after each decortication (the removal of the bark, so, of the cork) it takes on average another 9 years before the new cork is ready for removal. The cork is then processed and used to produce mainly the typical caps for bottles of wine, but also to make lot of additional handicrafts, such as bags, purses or even jackets and ties.

About 20 minutes drive from Evora, the Neolithic megaliths are an interesting diversion during any tour in the region. These prehistoric monuments were erected between 5000 and 7500 years ago and are among the largest and best preserved in Europe after Stonehenge.