It is well known to oenologists, but a
little surprising to the rest of us, that the region is not only by far
Portugal’s prime producer of plonk, but increasingly the source of some
genuinely classy and sophisticated wines. The headquarters of the local wine
authority, Vinhos do Alentejo, on Praca Aguiar, is a good first port of call
for a bit of background on race local grape varieties such as Alicante
Bouschet, Antão Vaz and Roupeiro. Thereafter, armed with the Wine Route map,
you could take to the road, as I did, for a vinous safari taking in producers
such as Cartuxa – on a historic estate run as a philanthropic enterprise by the
Eugénio de Almeida Foundation – Quinta do Carmo and Monte dos Coelheiros. You
could stop for a long lunch in a wine village such as Reguengos or Borba, then
make for Monsaraz to watch the sun go down over the reservoir before heading
back to your hotel.
Vamos
passar pela praça medieval
But which hotel? For the moment there are
two five-star properties in Evora, and the only important decision you will
need to make in this least stressful of cities will be which of the two to book
into. Classic luxury or contemporary chic?
The brand-new M’Ar De Ar Aqueduto hotel,
fashioned out of a palatial house beside a 16th-century aqueduct,
lies inside the city walls and is to be recommended for its swish modern design
and perfectly convenient setting.
the
Virgin Mary church
The Convento do Espinheiro is clearly the
posher option. Part of the Starwood hotel group’s Luxury Collection portfolio,
it is a converted convent originally built in the 15th century after
the Virgin Mary was said to have appeared to a shepherd in a hawthorn tree
(espinheiro). The hotel stands in rolling countryside a few kilometers outside
Evora, and the whitewashed splendor of the convent church is visible from the
town.
The convent’s plain, cool interiors with
impressive vaulted ceilings have been skifully turned into five-star spaces by
the judicious application of expensive fabrics, ecclesiastical accoutrements
and comfortable (if not always especially beautiful) furniture. The music in
the hotel’s public spaces reflects the odd convergence going on here: there is
Chopin in the refectory lounge, Pet Shop Boys in the breakfast room and
plainsong in the convent church.
At least the church – a sizeable
Renaissance structure with a rich gold altarpiece, an organ, side chapels and a
series of wonderful painted blue azulejos illustrating scenes from the life of
St Jerome – is still functioning as such. After a long dinner with a bottle of
strong local red wine. I enjoyed the sacrilegious frisson of emerging directly
from the restaurant into the deserted church for a moment a post-prandial
meditation.
My room at the Convento do Espinheiro was
anything but monastic, with a rococo bed, hardwood armchairs, heavy curtains
and a palette of purple, red and grey. Above the bed, a picture of the Good
Shepherd holding a sheep looked down on me beadily (and, so I fancied, slightly
reprovingly). The view from the balcony was pleasant but slightly
disappointing: a jumble of semi-rural plots beyond the pool.
After two nights I asked to change rooms,
and the new one was more to my liking: a sleekly modern suite in the hotel’s
newest wing – built in 2008 – with furniture by Dolce & Gabbana and
Philippe Starck, a sunken hydro-massage tub in the white marble bathroom, and a
salacious modern painting by the Portuguese painter Bela Silva – a considerable
improvement, I thought, on the Good Shepherd. Outside the balcony were rocks
and pasture, and the white pavilion of a mausoleum deep in the convent grounds,
reminding me of the grave of some Islamic saint.
the
Praca do Giraldo
Since it was my last night, I drove back
into Evora for a walk around the old town under an enormous full moon, so
bright and close it seemed to flood the whitewash of the town with ultraviolet
light. On a week night the Praca do Giraldo was deserted, and I sat by the
fountain in contented solitude, admiring what is surely one of the world’s most
peaceful urban spaces. Like many a wised-up beauty. Evora likes to turn in
early, the better to show off her fresh-faced loveliness the following day.
