To the West of Monsaraz

Barrocal in Winter
New aerial images of the beautiful territory of Monsaraz


Barrocal: the farm house and the granite quarry (respectively, the settlement of the future Communitarian Centre and the Hotel).




Monte do Barrocal (on the left) and the hill of Monsaraz


The Roman villa of Barrocal (the rectangle around the pond). The Alqueva Dam on the horizon.


Monsaraz from the West


Monsaraz and, behind it, the Late Bronze Age hillfort of S. Gens

The Avenue at Graça do Divor

Two stone paralel lines, in front of the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Graça do Divor: a feature of uncertain date and function.



The Chapel at sunset


The Avenue on its eastern end




The western bottom, on the ridge separating the hydrographic basins of the Tejo and Sado rivers (Pedro Alvim)


To the East of the Chapel, the Avenue is less preserved and shows a slightly different orientation

Around one Km to the South of the Chapel, rests of another stone lined avenue.


The ridge to the South of the Avenue

Aerial landscapes in Central Alentejo

Paço das Vinhas (Évora)

Dolmen of the Paço das Vinhas 2

The River Degebe, close to Paço das Vinhas

In the first plan, a prehistoric settlement, close to the dolmen Paço das Vinhas 2.

The granit outcrop has evidences of quarrying

Another prehistoric settlement in the left bank of the River Degebe

The same settlement site

A cup marked stone in the settlement

Detail of the cup marked stone

Aerial landscapes in Central Alentejo

Redondo (Monte do Cabido)




Flying close to Redondo, over an area with prehistoric settlements

Aerial landscapes in Central Alentejo

Crossroad to Torre de Coelheiros




The flat bare landscapes South of Evora

Aerial winter landscapes in Central Alentejo

Graça do Divor (Évora)


Grassland, green oaks and riparian trees


Lines in a rural landscape


more lines


The old railway changed into an eco-track connecting Évora to Graça do Divor (and further...)


The Cabeço dos Mouros settlement. It is a cyclopic building, from Early Roman times. It has been arranged for visits, and can be reached through the eco-track, taking a deviation to the West, not far from the Graça do Divor old railway station.

Aerial landscapes in Central Alentejo

Oliveirinha (Évora)


The only point where, if you drop water, it can flow to the rivers
Tejo, Sado or Guadiana... the most important rivers of the south of Portugal


On and around the outcrops on the first plan of the image, there is an Early Bronze Age settlement.


Just landscape with a pond


The Oliveirinha farm house. Behind it, there is a possible (though doubtful) standing stone.

Nomadic menhirs in Alentejo

The menhir of Esbarrondadouro, has been discovered, in 1995, following informations given by a shepherd who used to work in the farm.
In that time, the menhir was laying inside an enclosure used for pigs.
Some years later (2004), I found it removed from its former location, due to the works of enlargement of the pig structures.
In a recent visit, I had a new surprise: the menhir was not in the place where I had seen it the last time, when I had drawn it and taken GPS references.
Looking around, I found it erected close a recently restored farmhouse, some 400 m apart.
This seems to be an undesired effect of the growing awareness of farmers, in megalithic areas, about that kind of archaeological evidences...
We expect now to have the permission of the farmer to remove it to a more convenient location.


The original setting of the menhir, currently used as an enclosure for pigs


Very like a menhir...


The area where the menhir has been placed, after being removed from the original setting


The new setting of the menhir


E puore si muove...

Megalitismo alentejano contemporâneo

O Convento da Cartuxa (Évora)


O portão da Cartuxa


Estrutura elementar, feita com blocos recuperados de alvenaria, onde diariamente os monjes se reunem para conversar.
Note-se a planta em ferradura, orientada a Leste, evocando, sugestivamente, os recintos megalíticos alentejanos.

Megalitismo, Claro

Um passeio outonal pelo megalitismo de Montemor-o-Novo. Organização Célia Godinho (CMMN). Imagens do João Claro.