Pousada Alfama - Lisbon

LISBON & THE TAGUS VALLEY

Bordered by the Alentejo to the south and east, the Central region to the north and by the Atlantic ocean to the west, this region includes some of Portugal’s most famous old towns and cities including, of course, Lisbon itself, the country’s capital. The imposing River Tagus (Tejo in Portuguese, Tajo in Spanish) has its source in Spain and enters Portugal in the north-western corner of the region before flowing south-east to reach the Atlantic in Lisbon.

The region is heavily influenced by the Tagus, both in terms of the surrounding lush, fertile countryside on either side of its banks and the many towns (including Abrantes, Costância and Santarém) and villages through which it travels which all maintain deeply-rooted cultural traditions. The main influence in the west of the region is the Atlantic, with the landscape of the coast – the ‘Costa de Prata’, or Silver Coast, changing from high sweeping cliffs to long beaches and little coves of white sand. And throughout the interior of this region many ancient monasteries, convents and castles all bear witness to Portugal’s rich cultural and historical traditions. The climate of the region is mild, with springtime temperatures in winter and warm summers, sometimes tempered by fresh breezes blowing in from the Atlantic.

Lisbon is a delightful city. Portugal’s capital since 1255 following the conquest of the Moors a century earlier, Lisbon can certainly be described as a monumental city with over 20 centuries of history. One of Lisbon’s oldest quarters is the Alfama, which fortunately survived the devastating earthquake in 1755, and its narrow medieval streets with their typical tile-covered building façades can easily be explored on foot. The finest views of the city and across and beyond the far side of the river are from the magnificent St George’s Castle, set on a hilltop above the Alfama and its adjoining medieval quarter of Mouraria. Portugal of course has a splendid maritime history – one of its great heroes is Henry the Navigator – and there is an almost tangible maritime feel to Lisbon, exemplified by the emblematic Belém Tower situated on the side of the river to protect the entrance to the city.

Not far out of Lisbon is the charming town of Sintra, a World Heritage site, with its outstanding Pena Palace, a former royal residence built on the ruins of a 16th century monastery – not to be missed. And on the coast, just a few miles south of Sintra, are the fashionable resorts of Estoril with its fine sandy beaches, golf course and famous Casino (Europe’s largest), and neighbouring Cascais, once a pretty fishing village and royal resort and now a favourite spot for the ‘jet set’.

Other towns in the region, north of Lisbon and very much worthy of mention, are the impressively authentic medieval town of Óbidos whose castle is now the Pousada, and Fátima, one of the great pilgrimage shrines of the world since the famous apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1917, whose delightful Pousada in nearby Ourém comprises a cluster of renovated medieval houses.

The principal elements of the cuisine of this region are fish and seafood, with the quality and freshness of everything offered that comes out of the sea quite simply unbeatable, while Lisbon’s many restaurants offer a wide choice of regional specialities from all over Portugal. This region produces very good cheeses made from both goat and sheep milk and, this being Portugal, a huge variety of delicious cakes and pastries with practically every town having its own particular speciality. Several local wines are produced, including an excellent moscatel from Setúbal.