Fresco Route Dukes and Duchesses

Alentejo is one of the privileged centers of Portuguese mural painting, with beautiful examples to be found. It reached its peak during the 16th and 17th centuries, representing religious and catechetical imagery.

The Fresco Route invites you to discover of one of the Alentejo hidden treasures: the fresco wall paintings.

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Alentejo mural painting has resisted until today, with a greater or lesser degree of degradation, enriching the heritage of this region and calling for a visit.

The Fresco Route is an unique opportunity to enter the doors of churches, chapels, and shrines usually closed, and unravel paintings with 500 years of existence, sometimes preserved spotless in forgotten monuments.

You will understand the influence of Duques of Bragança in the cultural landscape of Vila Viçosa, with the creation of a legacy that still marks Alentejo. Under the excuse of fresco wall paintings, feel privileged to enter the convents and churches favored by the Dukes and Duchesses of Bragança over the centuries, discovering the places of faith and power of this royal lineage.

For the lunch break, we will have the chance to taste local wines, dishes, and desserts. Influenced by a Mediterranean climate and Roman and Moorish heritage, the Alentejo cuisine is unique in Portugal, also influenced by the Age of Discoveries, when seasonings like coriander arrived from the East.