Picture this. You’re having a lunch in a cosy classic restaurant in a city which breaths history and you hear ‘Dueling banjos’ from the movie ‘Deliverance’.
When you ask the waiter about the music choice he answers that he plays Grand theft auto and this song is used in that game. Since then this Portuguese man is a big fan of country music. No fado for this cowboy.
At another point, we were entertained by a gang of buskers while enjoying our apéro. Music and good life seems to blend very well.
Évora is a charming medium-sized city and the historic capital of Alentejo.
It’s also an Unesco World Heritage Site and will be the European Capital of Culture in 2027. Thanks to a Cathedral, Roman temple, Garça church, Aquaduct….and a Chapel of bones. The chapel was build by Franciscan monks and is next to the Church of St. Francis. They used approximately 5000 skeletons to decorate the Chapel.
Better is the day of death then the day of birth
Ecclesiastes
Do take some time and explore the surrounding area. It is beautiful.
On a hilltop nearby Bento you have a stunning view over Évora. The city also restored some old windmills which look like they got teleported from a Greek island.
Not far from Évora and close to Arraiolos, hidden in nature on a terrain of 5 hectares with oak & olive trees, you have Villa Extramuros. A contemporary villa with design & furniture from 1950 until now. All hand-picked by the owners, 2 Parisian guys with ‘un œil’ for detail and great taste. Jean-Christophe runs the kitchen and serves healthy & heavenly breakfast. François is an amiable host who fetches the freshly laid eggs from their own chickens in the wee small hours of the morning. Do i need to say more? This is the perfect hideaway to fully relax and enjoy Alentejo.
