Évora, Portugal

A Nossa Escapadinha em Evora

In our Portuguese language class, I learned the word “escapadinha.” An escapadinha is a short trip for a couple of days where one leaves town, but does not go out of the country. For an escapadinha, take a car or train, but not an airplane, because long waits at the airport are not in the spirit of an escapadinha. Having relocated to Portugual last March, my spouse and I were ready for a short overnight vacation. We chose Évora, Portugal for our first escapadinha.

Roman Temple in Évora

Evora has been occupied since Neolithic times. Romans settled in Évora sometime around the 1st century A.D. The city still includes the ruins of a Roman temple believed to have been constructed between the 1st century and the 3rd century AD.

Sé de Évora

The Sé de Évora or the Cathedral of Évora is located at Marquês de Marialva Square on the highest hill in the historic city center. The cathedral’s construction was started by 1280 and finished around 1350. The style of the cathedral is Roman-Gothic, so the cathedral design is in the shape of a cross. The cost to see the cathedral is 4 euros. If you want to see the museum, also, the charge is 5 euros.

Cathedral of Évora

If one is willing and able to walk up the narrow, circular, tiny steps inside the cathedral to the terrace at the top of the tower, one can see the battlements on the top of the church. From the terrace, one can see not just the historic section of Évora, but the new area of the city beyond the stone walls, the mountains of Ossa, which are almost an hour north of Evora by car, and Portel, which is a 40 minute drive south.

The Main Chapel was updated from the Gothic-Roman style to a Baroque style by King D, Joao V in the 18th century. The chapel now has a considerable amount of marble on both the floor and the ceiling.

Main Chapel of the Cathedral of Évora

The cathedral has a XVIth century Iberian organ. This organ is the only one of its kind in Portugal. The organ is made of oak wood and is still being played today. The Évora International Organ Festival (Festival Internacional De Órgao De Évora or FIOE) is held annually. The FIOE is a joint effort of several churches in Évora including the Cathedral of Évora, the Igreja de São Fransico, and the Igreja do Espírito. To look for information about these concerts and accompanying activities, go to fioe.pt.

Iberian organ in Cathedral of Évora

Just Inside the City Walls

Inside the medieval stone wall surrounding Évora is the Jardim Publico de Évora or the Evora Public Park. The garden is filled with trees, several walkways, and a few peacocks.

Évora’s architecture

UNESCO named the historic center of Evora as a World Heritage Site in 1986. Several Portuguese kings claimed Evora as their residence during the time Portugal was a maritime power. The city is known for having the best preserved Portuguese architecture typical of the Portuguese Golden Age.

Evora’s buildings are mostly one or two stories, painted white on the outside and accented with a bright yellow color. The historic city center is surrounded by an ancient stone wall. The large area inside the wall includes narrow cobblestone streets, not many sidewalks, and plenty of old whitewashed buildings with iron balconies and tile roofs.

Évora, like other areas within the Alentejo, can get quite hot during the summer. Although the weather overall is temperate, high temperatures in July and August can reach 35 degrees Celsius and even 45 degrees Celsius.

Researchers have found that Evora’s architecture incorporates a number of factors to cool the buildings naturally. These factors include: whitewashed facades to reflect up to 90% of solar radiation and reduce heat; small window openings; vegetation to create shade; patios to promote ventilation; and fountains and pools, sometimes in interior courtyards, to promote evaporative cooling.

Where to Stay

We stayed at the Hilton Hotel in Evora. The rooms were modern, extremely clean, and reasonably priced. The hotel is within walking distance to the historic city center.

Although we’ve stayed in AirBnbs on prior trips in both the United States and Portugal, we are deliberately returning to hotels. I’ve read that in Portuguese cities, short-term rentals are creating intolerable living environments for those who live in apartments and are surrounded by tourists using short-term rentals. We don’t want to contribute to the problem caused by short-term rentals, or ALs as they are referred to in Portugal.

Where We Ate

I asked a long-term Alentejo resident for recommendations on where to enjoy typical Alentejo dishes. We tried several of the places that were recommended to us:

PipaRoza - We had a late lunch at this restaurant. My spouse enjoyed an Iberian pig entree. The vegetarian pasta dish I ordered was simple and plain. The restaurant has an extensive wine list.

Martinho Da Arcada - The interior of the restaurant was extremely simple. I ordered an entree titled “Secretos da porco preto” or “Secrets of the black pig.” The pork was so incredibly delicious and flavorful. The taste was unlike any pork I’ve had before.

Secrets of the Black Pig

Other restaurants we visited included:

Do Largo - We arrived early for breakfast. The location is lovely and the menu includes pancakes, croissants, yogurt, granola, scrambled eggs and other breakfast items. The cafe faces a small public square and has tables outdoors when it is warm.

Tres Marmelos - This tiny restaurants offers small plates, many of which were vegetarian. We appreciated the creative flavor combinations and the service was excellent.

Resources

Cabido de Se / Cathedral of Évora
Municipality of Évora
UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Historic Centre of Évora
Festival Internacional De Órgao De Évora

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