How do you convert a building into the number one attraction in your city? Very simple. You dig out all the bodies from area cemeteries. Hire an interior decorator to help with the bones and skulls placement in the building. Display a cute welcome sign in the entrance, something like “we bones in here wait for yours to join us”. And voila! That’s pretty much what three monks did with roughly 5000 monk corpses at the Chapel of the Bones. One of many interesting sites to keep visitors entertained in and around the Alentejo capital of Evora.
There’s a certain atmosphere in Evora that is lacking in frenzied Porto and Lisbon. Most visitors come here on a day trip from Lisbon, either as part of a tour or on their own. You can see the contrast when visiting the cathedral before and after lunch when the tours start to disperse. This is why its best to stick around a few days. If you do, make it at the historic Convento do Espinheiro, a ridiculously affordable 5 star former convent, a few miles north of the city.
In addition to the bone church, and the cathedral with its reachable Insta roof, you’ll want to see the striking Roman Temple, preferably in the afternoon when the light is less harsh. Almost every other corner of Evora is a reminder of its complicated past. Mercadores (merchants) and Moeda (coin) streets in the Jewish quarter go back to the days when Jews did much of the banking. In the middle ages you were forbidden to lend money to members of your faith, so the majority Christians relied on the minority Jews.
Very few trippers make it to the University, second oldest in the country after Coimbra. Its main attraction, the Colégio do Espírito Santo building has a striking facade, and a game called “Lets find the library”. I can give you directions, but you’d be missing all the fun we had. Right next to the University is the beautiful Espírito Santo church that requires a separate ticket. Here you can play “lets find the turkey”. The one that commemorates the Jesuit missions to America. Or just chill at the beautiful public garden, chasing peacocks next to folly ruins.
And then there’s the Alentejo food and wine. Rustic, Tuscan-like fare, a welcomed change from the seafood heavy coast. Old timers like Fialho, and Taberna Típica Quarta-feira are intermingled with the new kids like Origens, bringing a new wave of flavors. I get the sense that Evora is becoming a food powerhouse. More on that soon.
And there’s no shortage of day trips from Evora. Estremoz, Elvas, the jaw dropping Monsaraz, Marvão, and the beautiful, still undiscovered Castelo de Vide just to name a few. A tour and lunch at the Michelined Herdade do Esporão, and Monsaraz is an easy and rewarding pair. And if you want to learn about the area cork production, David of Cortiçarte will help with that with much humor. Portugal supplies over 60% of the world’s cork.
Make sure to include Evora in your Portugal plans.
Eating With Ziggy 