This hike takes place in a typical Alentejo cork oak forest landscape, but where other important elements are also present: water through a beautiful water mirror formed by the Tourega Dam on the Valverde stream, the ancient Roman village of Nossa Senhora da Tourega and the Anta Grande do Zambujeiro. After the walk, we suggest a stop at the Almendres Menhir and Cromlech. Another event not to be missed!

Nossa Senhora da Tourega Dam

The dam is located on the Herdade do Barrocal and is made of granite and mortar, with a wall length of 430 metres, built in 1953 for agricultural use.

Roman Villa of Nossa Senhora da Tourega

It is located in a privileged area of Ebora Liberalitas Julia (present-day Évora), next to the Roman road to Salácia (present-day Alcácer do Sal) and only five kilometres from the Roman road to Pax Julia.

It may have been the property of people from the landowning class between the 1st and 4th centuries. Roughly speaking, the villa was a rural estate from the period of Roman occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, similar to the Alentejo hills of today, made up of a series of dwellings for the residence of the owners and their workers, as well as equipped with private baths, given the importance the Romans always attached to hygiene and health care.

At its maximum extent, the village occupied an area of around five hundred square metres, with double baths for both sexes, with rooms and tanks for hot and cold baths. What remains today are three rectangular baths built with mortar walls, the longest being 24.5 metres long and over 4.6 metres wide.

Anta Grande do Zambujeiro

The Anta Grande do Zambujeiro is a dolmen-type megalithic monument, one of the largest in the Iberian Peninsula. It was built between 4,000 and 3,500 BC. It consists of a single chamber, used during the Neolithic period as a burial site and possible religious cults. The polygonal-shaped chamber is made of seven huge stones, 8 metres high. Originally they were covered by a stone 7 metres wide. A corridor 12 metres long, 1.5 metres wide and 2 metres high leads into the chamber. The entrance was marked by a huge decorated menhir, which is now listed as a monument. This monument illustrates the technical skill and complex social organisation of the Neolithic populations who built it.

Note 1: For those interested, the walk can be extended by about 3 kilometres to see the Anta Grande do Zambujeiro.

Almendres Menhir and Cromlech

The Almendres Cromlech is the largest circle of menhirs ever found in Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula. Made up of 95 monoliths, or menhirs, and dating back to the 7th millennium BC, it is one of the most important and oldest megalithic monuments in the whole of Europe.

It is part of Évora's Megalithic Circuit, along with other monuments: dolmens, necropolises, smaller cromlechs and prehistoric settlements. It has been a Property of Public Interest since 1974 and a National Monument since 2015. The importance of this cromlech lies not only in its large size, but also in the good state of preservation it is in.

Note 2: After the walk and lunch, we suggest a visit to the Almendres Menhir and Cromlech (extra programme).

- Aldeia de Valverde - Barragem da Tourega - Anta Grande do Zambujeiro - Vila Romana de N. Sra da Tourega - Ribeira de Valverde - Herdade do Barrocal - Miliário da Mitra - Igreja Matriz de Valverde - Natural landscapes -