It is an authentic Portuguese jewel, among the many that our neighboring country has. When I think of the amount of treasures it holds, I marvel at how little we know about Portugal . I am talking about the Spanish, among whom I do not think it is too widespread to travel to the Portuguese country.
In any case, if you can and feel like it, don’t limit yourself this summer to getting to know Lisbon (another wonder!) And explore the Portuguese geography a little more thoroughly. So you can discover small cities like Évora , which will seem magical to you. Historical, deep, cultural and convoluted. This is this city of narrow streets in which the legacy of Romans and Muslims is still felt.
Snippets of history
Its beauty is such that it was declared, in a totally deserved way, a World Heritage Site by Unesco. The center is a complex network of narrow streets fruit of Arab urbanism, experts say. Searching in Évora for remains of the passage of the Romans, Visigoths or Muslims can become quite an experience.
Centuries ago, the Romans extended their rule in the area. They built the first city wall in Évora, the Velha fence , of which barely a few gates remain, despite the fact that it was preserved by the Visigoth and Arab peoples who arrived later. The Porta da Moura is one of the remains. Another Roman rest that remains in the city is the Aqueduto da Aqua da Prata , with more than 15 km. long, in very good condition thanks to the remodeling it underwent in 1552.
In the fourteenth century a second wall was built, which was called Cerca nova , with a perimeter of almost 4,000 meters, of which a good part is preserved. And later, in the seventeenth century, the third wall was built, close to the newest . That is why Évora is known as the city of the three walls .
Évora lived its golden age between the 15th and 16th centuries when the Portuguese kings chose it as their royal residence and it was considered the second city of the kingdom. From then on a slow decline began, a lethargy from which he seems not to have woken up. Of course, its beauty remains intact.