IDEAS FOR A VISIT
1. ANTAS DO OLIVAL DA PEGA
Coordinates: 38° 27.095' N 7° 23.931' W
Communities living at the end of the Neolithic period, probably in the second half of the 4th millennium BC, built these two large antas in this area (situated near the Telheiro village). They belong to a vast funerary complex were 118 people were buried. The Anta 2 is the most relevant, the Anta 1 (Lat-Long: 38.451389, -7.401630) is less well preserved but still fascinating. These megalithic monuments are surrounded by beautiful centenary (if not millenary) olive trees with their gigantic trunks twisted by age.
2. THE OLIVE TREES ROUTE
Coordinates: 38° 26.127' N 7° 23.339' W
Near Monsaraz, the Hotel Horta da Moura has created a path denominated “Rota das Oliveiras” (the olive trees route), where people can admire and get in close contact with the millenary olive trees of their olive grove. The olive trees age has been certified by the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro who developed a patented mathematical model to calculate the age (with a margin of error of 2%) without the need of taking samples from the tree. In the olive grove you will be able to admire olive trees aged between 700 and 1,400 years and the “masterpiece of the collection”, a 2,450 years old olive tree, the second oldest in the country (the first being located close to Loures and 2,850 years old). The trees are very healthy and still produce good olives. Go to the reception of the hotel and ask to get a free visit of the grove.
3. OLIVE OIL MUSEUM OF MOURA
Coordinates: 38° 08.667' N 7° 26.970' W
The Lagar (“press room”) de Varas de Fojo dates back to 1810, and it had been used for olive oil production until 1941. It is nowadays a museum, where you can learn about ancient olive oil producing techniques. This press room is one of the rare examples of ancient Roman olive oil press in the Iberian Peninsula. Location: Rua João de Deus 19. Hours: from Tuesday to Sunday 9:30-12:30 am and 2:30-5:30pm. Contactss: Tel. 285252640
4. BAR-RESTAURANT SEM-FIM
Coordinates: 38° 27.394' N 7° 22.889' W
Sem-Fim (“without end”) is a machine, a screw that leads the olives to the mixer. The outcome of this process is olive oil. One day Gil Kalisvaart, a ‘Holantejano’ artist, bought the old mill in Telheiro and created a space of industrial archeology where the oil presses are included in a modern art context. What was the ‘lagar’ warehouse has now become a café where you can listen to local music and taste the various olive oils of the region. At the end of the café a door gives onto the veranda with a superb view of the castle of Monsaraz on the top of the hill (see also here).