One of the trips in recent times that I have the best memories of is the route by car what I did for the Alentejo region, riding a Portugal.
beautiful towns and castles, many medieval castles, is one of the characteristics of a trip through the Alentejo.
And among these castles is that of Alter do Chao, a small town that you find in the northernmost and most interior area of this Portuguese region that has a large area.
Faced with what happens in others towns in the interior of Alentejo in which the castles are shown at the highest part of a hill on which the town extends, like marvao o Castelo de Vide, riding a Alter do Chao It is located in the same urban center, and on a plain.
Near another enclave with a castle, Alter Pedroso, human settlements in this area date back to pre-Roman times. It is even thought that during the Roman occupation there must have been a fortification in the area.
It is known that the Arabs built their own fortification during the 10th century.
But the current Alter do Chao castle that you can visit dates back to 1249, and once the king Alfonso II He had ordered the repopulation of the area after liberating it from Muslim occupation.
Now, the current structure of the castle is due to Peter I, during whose reign, in 1375, a new reconstruction was carried out.
Nowadays, when you get to Alter do Chao You will find the castle in front of the main square of the town, where another possible visit is also located, the Alamo House. a 17th century building that was dedicated to agricultural activities, and now houses a local art museum.
El Alter do Chao castle It is not large and has been recently restored, so it is in perfect condition for your visit.
With a square floor plan, it has a Gothic style, with a granite wall and the arrangement of six towers.
During your castle visitThe first thing you will see is a room dedicated to a museum area with information on its history and the area.
Then you can climb to the top of the wall and walk around the entire perimeter, going up if you wish to some of the castle towers.
On your walk along the wall you will have different perspectives of Alter do Chao, from the old neighborhood with its narrow streets with houses with bright white facades and red roofs, to the central square with the aforementioned Alamo House in a preferential place and the church.
The Alter do Chao Castle visiting hours They are, in summer, from 10 a.m. to 12,30:15 p.m. and from 19 p.m. to 14 p.m., and in winter, the same time in the morning and in the afternoon from 17,30 p.m. to XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. The castle is closed on Tuesdays.
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