Barrancos

Barrancos is a lovely village situated in the vast Alentejo region, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, quite close to the Spanish frontier that much has influenced the local life throughout the centuries.

Inhabited by men since remote times, Barrancos was conquered from the Moors in 1167 and re-populated in 1200. Barrancos belonged then to Noudar, an ancient village which castle dates back from the 14th century and is nowadays in ruins, as well as the village, that was extinguished in 1825.

In Barrancos it is worth to appreciate the lovely typical architecture of this side of the Alentejo, which landscape is often named as “Golden Plein”.
To better take advantage of the surrounding nature, it is worth to visit the Noudar Nature Park, that aims for the preservation and promotion of this wonderful natural region, in an Ecological Tourism project with around one thousand hectares, with several species of fauna and flora. The park has guided tours, accommodation, leisure activities, seminars, among other facilities.

The Cultural Heritage of Barrancos is one of its main richness, including an own dialect (“Barranquenho”) that is inclusively taught in the local school. This dialect is quite close to Castellan , showing of the great connection with Spain. In fact, the nearest settlement is in Spain, Encinasola at 9km distance, opposite to the 21kms from the nearest Portuguese settlement, Santo Aleixo da Restauração.

This strong cultural heritage are present in the traditional Festivities that take place every August, where during three days six bulls and one cow are killed by Spanish matadors, in an improvised bullring, constructed every year to the occasion, right in the centre of the village.
The bullfighters stick in the bulls several banderillas and after try to kill them after sometimes dozens of attempts with a sword.

Barrancos is equally famous for its quality top gastronomy, namely for its pork and sausages and smoked ham, that are recognized internationally.