Marvao, One Of The Most Beautiful Villages In Portugal

Marvao always appears on the lists of the most beautiful towns in Portugal. A place that dazzles visitors as they approach it. And it is that contemplating it from a distance, in the heart of the Sao Mamede mountain range, is something as attractive as walking through its old cobbled streets.

Where is Marvao

Traveling to Marvao from Spain is very easy. It is a town in the Alentejo, in its northern area and very close to the border with Spain.

In fact, very close is the Extremaduran town of Valencia de Alcántara. And even from the beautiful city of Cáceres there is only a short trip to Marvao of about an hour and a half by road.

A walled town

As they approach Marvao, the first thing that strikes visitors is its location.  The town is shown on the highest part of a hill. There its urban center unfolds, a set of houses protected by a walled enclosure.

A wall that, without a doubt, is due to its border character. But it is also a consequence of its very long history. In fact, before those walls existed, the place was already inhabited. This is attested by the megalithic monuments in the form of dolmens that have been found in the area.

Later the Roman troops would arrive here and create a city called Ammaia, which could have been inhabited by several thousand residents. But it was not at that time that the current walls were raised.

Those walls actually have a medieval origin. The wall dates, more or less, from the 12th century, when Marvao, after having been Muslim and also Castile, finally passed to Portugal.

Marvao heritage

Perhaps in other times these walls prevented Marvao from entering, but today they are one more invitation to your visit. Since the walk through this Portuguese town is a beautiful journey through the Portuguese Middle Ages. We are going to try to tell you what awaits you during that visit.

Convent of Our Lady of the Star

Even before crossing the walls, one of the most charismatic temples in the complex welcomes us. It is the convent of Our Lady of the Star. A whitewashed building like the rest of the urban nucleus  and that dates back to approximately the 15th century.

The wall of Marvao

To get an idea of ​​the power of this military compound, we recommend you go through it, but also pay attention to certain details. For example, the double door that needs to be crossed. Or the remains of what were the machicolations and the watchtowers of the defensive ensemble.

More churches

There are several churches that we find during this walk. We can mention the one of the Holy Spirit, sandwiched between the houses of the town.

Another temple is the church of Santa María, which is worth visiting because there are the Municipal Museum and also the Marvao tourist office. Not only that, it is also surrounded by some peculiar gardens.

Marvao castle

However, the destination of any walk in this attractive Alentejo town is the castle. Medieval remains are preserved there and, above all, its magnificent keep, which dominates the second courtyard of the walled enclosure.

A place to admire for having resisted for centuries and convulsive episodes. But it is also a place to look at the environment. From there they can be seen from the Sierra de la Estrella and Castelo Branco to the lands of Extremadura, already in Spain.

As you can see, it is not surprising that Marvao appears in the lists of the most charming towns in Portugal. A place that you should not miss if you are passing through or visiting the center of the country.