Olive Oil and Cork – Monsaraz Tour
On this Tour we'll visit Monsaraz, in the middle of the visit we will stop at a 16th century Palace and do a small presentation about olive oil and cork. Since I have a small olive grove, we'll also try the authentic local olive oil...the best in the world. Olive oil is super important in the region, it is used in food but also in lighting, cosmetics and "medicines and blessings" or popular medicine. To produce olive oil we use the "Galega" olive and to eat with our meals we use the "Bical" olive. The oldest olive tree in the region is 3,000 years old, no one knows who owns her and it's called the "mother olive tree" by locals. We are also in the capital of cork. Portugal produces 50% of the world's cork and 80% of cork oaks are in Alentejo. Cork is removed from cork oaks in the Summer every 9 years. We mainly use cork to make stoppers. Other uses are in construction, as insulation, or in the fashion industry. The latter has been growing and today we can find everything made of cork... even underwear.
On our tour we’ll talk about the people who built Monsaraz, the various Monuments of the Village and Alentejo’s architecture. Monsaraz has many secrets that are under study by our Historian. Old traditions that are still alive around here and are proof of the village’s authenticity. We’ll talk about daily life and stories of the locals. From Monsaraz we have an amazing view of the Alentejo and of Spain. We’re also going to visit the Museum of the Fresco and the Museum of the Religions.
In Monsaraz we have the evidence of most of the cultures and religions that passed through the Iberian Peninsula. The Village has been a frontier fortification since the Iron Age. Here we have the Medieval Castle surrounded by an immense Bulwark fortification from the 17th century. On our visit to the Medieval Village we’ll be walking along narrow streets of slate surrounded by whitewashed houses with huge chimneys. We're going to see details from various architectural periods and some local traditions. From medieval Gothic granite doors to 19th century Palaces. Beautiful metal work on the balconies and windows. Walls made of thousands of slate stones covered in lichens. In Monsaraz and on the outskirts we have seventeen temples from different religions. Temples built in Prehistory by the Megalithism Culture and Sacred Rocks from Animism. Temples built in the Middle Ages by the Christian Knights Templar, Qubbas from Islam and a Jewish Quarter. From Monsaraz we can see hundreds of Km of a landscape humanized since 6000 years ago. Nearby we have the Guadiana River that divides Portugal and Spain. We are in the borderlands, a place of smuggling, war and anarchy. From Monsaraz we can also see the largest artificial lake in Western Europe. The Alqueva Dam reservoir is 80 km in length and has 250 square Km of water. The reservoir forced the reconstruction of an entire village and originated an immense archaeological project.
At the end of the tour we can visit several stores selling traditional products. From blankets made on horizontal wooden looms to local ceramics and other regional products.
