Andante Travels

Introduction

The history of the Iberian peninsula has divided what was the Roman province of Lusitania between two countries, so that it now lies in both Portuguese Alentejo and Spanish Extremadura. The capital was at Mérida, today a modest Spanish country town, dwarfed by the gigantic remnants of its Roman imperial past.

We take this as the major focus of our unusual programme, which is a peregrination through World Heritage monuments and tiny rural sites, enjoying the wonderful, wide landscapes of Iberia.

Although the theme of our tour is evidence of the Roman past, we also look at the prehistoric monuments which predated it, and the medieval churches, palaces and hill towns which succeeded it. The Portuguese city of Evora, once an important Roman city, Liberalitas Iulia, dominates the Alentejo Plain, and became rich and powerful from colonial expansion in the 15th and 16th centuries. It is now a World Heritage site.

The countryside of southern Spain and Portugal is an important component of the tour, and previous guests have much enjoyed seeing the storks, flowers and the fragrant orange blossom at this time of year. We will be staying in a Pousada in a castle at Palmela, an attractive and very central hotel in Evora and at the Parador - a converted monastery - in the heart of Mérida.

We fly to and from Lisbon, which has a famously well documented and rich colonial history, beyond the scope of our tour,  but which you may wish to explore by extending your holiday independently.

Itinerary

Day One
Fly to Lisbon and drive to our hotel in Palmela, 5km north of Setubal.

Day Two
By ferry to Troia, the Roman site of Cetobriga (special permission for access), which grew wealthy as a centre for garum production. There are some 52 factories here, having around 3000 tanks in which the layers of salt and fish rotted to produce the ubiquitous sauces of the ancient world. One may imagine that the baths found in the area were a great necessity for the workers here.  The area was destroyed by a tidal wave in AD412. 
The major prehistoric site of Os Almendres is the largest group of megaliths in Portugal - 92 stones remain out of an original number of over 100. They are arranged in a doubleringed circle, which is joined to a larger double-ringed elipse of standing stones.  Several are decorated. The complex dates to between 5000 and 4000 BC.

We also visit Anta Grande do Zambujeiro, the largest prehistoric burial chamber in the Iberian peninsula, composed of stones standing some 25 feet high. Continue to Evora.

Day Three
Major Roman Villa at Sao Cucufate, with several building phases from the 1st to the 4th centuries AD - the latest of these is, understandably, the most visible, when it was rebuilt on a palatial scale, with gardens and a small temple. The façade is flanked by two towers, between which lay a long verandah leading down into a garden with an ornamental pool.

Afternoon spent exploring Evora, a former Roman municipium, Ebora Liberalitas Iulia, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It still has a few Roman remains, notably the Temple of Diana, but in the late medieval period it was a favourite haunt of Portuguese monarchs and was richly endowed.

Day Four
Drive to the border town of Badajoz, a town with a Moorish past, famously beseiged by the British in 1812 during the Peninsular Wars. Visit the Alcazaba Museum, and then continue to Mérida, Emerita Augusta, named after the veterans who settled here having been given land by Augustus (emeritus means ‘paid-off’ in Latin). On the way into town we visit the huge arches of the stretch of aqueduct known as Los Milagros, standing over 100 feet high, which brought water from a dam (seen on Day 6) to the Roman city.

Day Five
All day exploring Roman Mérida, a simple Spanish provincial town still dominated by the remains of a glorious past. It remained of importance throughout the Roman period and beyond. The Roman remains are outstanding, including the bridge over the River Guadiana, the large amphitheatre, a splendid theatre, wealthy houses, a fine circus and the ‘Temple of Diana’ (probably a temple of the imperial cult). There is also a fine museum.

Day Six
The Roman dam of La Proserpina, which stored water for Roman Mérida to be transported by aqueduct. The great majority of Roman aqueducts were fed by springs, and artificial reservoirs created by damming are very much rarer. The Proserpina Dam is one of the best-preserved of Roman date in the world.

On to Alcantara, home of one of Spain’s crusading orders, with its remarkable Roman bridge. Drive to Cáceres, town with wellpreserved medieval centre. Little is visible of Roman Cáceres, Norba, although the museum in the centre of the Medieval city contains a good collection of pre-Roman, Roman and Visigoth artefacts. The old town of Cáceres is a perfectly preserved example of a Medieval town, which flourished during the period of the discovery of America, as wealthy families built huge houses here.

Day Seven
Further exploration of Mérida. We start with the Visigothic basilica of Sta Eulalia, who was martyred here in AD304, and is buried beneath the Medieval parish church. This has been the site of a Christian building since the 4th century. After recent excavations, it is possible to visit the Visigothic remains dating from the 5th and 6th centuries below the church. Nearby is the unusually well preserved Roman circus, where the central spina and the remains of the starting gates can still be seen.
Afternoon visit to the castle and Roman theatre at Medellín (birthplace of Cortes the Conquistador)

Day Eight
Drive to Lisbon via Elvas; fly home (or you may wish to extend your holiday independently).

 

Included

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Flights Scheduled flights from London to Lisbon.
• Transfers private coach provided to coincide with group flights
• Local Travel Private a/c coach.
• Meals All meals included (dinners with wine & water) except lunch on Day 5
• Guide Lecturer (also local guides where these are compulsory)  Not to be confused with "guest lecturers"!  The guide lecturer will be with you from breakfast to supper, and probably even a drink in the bar afterwards.  There is the occasional site where they may not be allowed to guide because of local regulations (we normally manage to circumnavigate these) but otherwise the guides are just that. They will have been chosen because of specialist knowledge and their ability to communicate and interest you.  After 22 years of making tours worldwide, we are highly appreciative of the attributes of a good guide, and intensely critical of people who do not possess them.  If you would like to know more about Dr Andrew Fear, please click his name.
• Tour Manager We never know how best to call the very special people whom we choose to accompany you on your tour.  They are usually employed in this capacity only by us, and have been trained to do things in the Andante way - unobtrusive, friendly and quietly efficient.
• Fieldnotes written for the tour
• Entry & tips Entry to all sites in programme; tips included.

Flights & Visa

Please note these flights are an indication of what the flights are likely to be. Please contact the office for exact details.

Airline: BA
BA502                   London Heathrow / Lisbon              14:55 / 17:35
BA503                   Lisbon / London Heathrow              18:25 / 21:05

Visa and Passport Requirements (for British passport holders only)*

Note:  Passport must be valid for the duration of your stay

Hotels

1 night in a 4* Pousada hotel in a castle in Palmela;
2 nights in a 4* hotel in historic central Evora;
4 nights in a Parador in central Mérida;

Comments

What Did You Enjoy Most About This Tour?

I knew that Andy was going to be wonderful on the Roman sites (having travelled with him before) but what a bonus his knowledge on the Peninsular War was. He really brought it alive for me. And, how marvelous to have some Visigoth sites on the itinerary. And the bonus - spotting birds of prey from the bus (Kites, buzzards, vultures), the storks and hearing nightingales, hoopoes and cuckoos while on sites and the Spring wild flowers and stampeding pigs in a cork oak grove. Guest, April 2009

It was important that the tour was arranged for the beginning of April. We had a very variable and interesting programme and practically all of the sites were uncrowded, some virtually deserted. Having an earlier Spring it was lovely to enjoy the peace and quiet of the Portuguese countryside. Guest, April 2009

Merida was a delight. Compact enough to walk around, yet lots of interest to see. I loved the museum. Guest, April 2008

Amazing number and variety of sites in such a small area, covering so many periods of Iberia’s history. A relatively unknown area that I should love to visit again. Unspoilt countryside, plenty of wildlife and wild flowers and not too much tourism. Guest, April 2008

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