We arrived in Estremoz by early afternoon yesterday. We are staying in Pousada Estremoz,
a castle built for Queen Santa Isabel in the 1300's. We are enjoying every moment!
After breakfast this morning, we drove to Vila Vicosa, which has been home to Portuguese royalty since the 1200's. King Dinis I built a castle in the 1300's. In 1502, construction began on the Ducal Palace. The area is home to several large marble quarries, so the Ducal Palace exterior is built entirely of marble, as well as the sidewalks in Vila Vicosa, most door and window frames, churches... We stopped in at the Pousada Vila Vicosa and explored the beautiful former convent with walls
and ceilings painted by a resident nun in the 1500's.
While having our laundry done in Vila Vicosa, we drove about 25 miles to Elvas, a
fortress city near the Spanish border. Elvas has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 2012. Elvas has beautiful churches, a castle inside intact walls, two additional forts within sight,
and a 3.7 mile long aqueduct with over 840 arches still standing. We had lunch in Elvas
and walked around the fortress walls. We were impressed!
