Elvas

Elvas is one of the most important towns in the Alentejo region, situated next to the border with Spain, being since early times one important defensive point, built inside star-shaped walls.

Visigoths, Celts, Romans and Moors occupied Elvas and left their legacy in the region.
All the city is composed by a rich heritage, with an immense collection of megalithic monuments and a good archaeological set from the pre-roman and roman period.
From the mediaeval period it is still possible to observe the 13th century Castle, the São Domingos Church or even the 12th century São Pedro Church.
The most noticeable monument in Elvas is probably the big Amoreira Aqueduct, which construction started in 1498 and was concluded in 1622, with an extension of about 7.800 meters and a total of 843 arches, some of them reaching more than 30 meters high. From the same architect of this aqueduct is the lovely Nossa Senhora da Assunção Church, previously Elvas’s Cathedral, dating from the 16th century. Many other Churches are worth to be known like the Domínicas Church, the Nossa Senhora da Nazaré, the Conceição, or the Ordem Terceira de São Francisco Churches, or, outside the city walls, the Senhor Jesus da Piedade Sanctuary, where every year in September a famous procession is held.

Elvas presents several museum nucleus of great interest like the Photography Municipal Museum João Carpiteiro, the Military Museum, the Contemporary Art Museum, the Rural Museum, the Ethnographical Museum, the Archaeology Museum, and the Piedade Wax Museum.

The Gastronomy of Elvas is typical of the Alentejo region, with several bread soup recipes, lamb and pork meat, a wide variety of sausages and smoked ham, and the famous olives and plums of this Elva’s region.