The
town and history...
Located among
olive groves and chestnut trees in the cool mountain region of São
Mamede, Castelo de Vide is often referred to as the Sintra of the
Alentejo. Scattered with monuments, this pretty spa town is a place
of roses, fountains, orchards and old houses. Steep alleyways lead
up to the castle through a 16th-century village, which is enriched
with some of the most impressive Gothic entrances in Portugal.
What to see. King Denis began building the castle but it was his
son, Afonso IV, who completed it in 1327. It was successfully defended
by an Anglo-Portuguese force against the Spanish in June 1704. The
town's oldest chapel, the 13th-century Salvador do Mundo, boasts
a much-admired painting called Flight into Egypt by an unknown artist.
The Jewish Quarter located in the east side of the Medieval town
has cobble streets and well-preserved houses. Its synagogue dates
back to the 14th century.
Nearby. Dotted over an area to the north between Castelo de Vide
and Castelo Branco are a number of circular stone edifices, similar
to those at the Iron Age site of Citânia de Briteiros in the
north of Portugal. A short drive south-east of Castelo de Vide lies
the enchanting town of Marvão, with its dramatic castle that
soars almost one 1,000 metres up on a buttress of the Serra de Mamede.
