Marvão in November - Chestnut Festival

The chestnut is probably one of the first foods eaten by man and dates back to prehistoric times. The chestnut tree was first introduced to Europe via Greece.

In Portugal as well as other Catholic countries in Europe, chestnuts are traditionally eaten on Saint Martin's Day which is on the 11th November. "Fire, nuts and wine," is the popular saying.  Celebrations in honor of this generous saint, one of the most popular in the West, warm the heart and make you forget how cold it is already being felt at this time of year.

Marvão, Alto Alentejo in Autumn is a beautiful place to visit, enjoy the colour of the countryside and take a walk in the stunning hills of the Serra de São Mamede. Join the celebrations of the Chestnut fair (Feira da Castanha / Festa do Castanheiro) held on the second weekend of November. The streets are lined with stalls selling genuine Portuguese handcrafts, artists demonstrating their traditional skills, various street artists and folk music and of course chestnuts and delicious chestnut cakes.
Another attraction is the Chestnut Gourmet Food Fortnight which runs 1-16 November, with participating restaurants in the area.

A stay at the 'self-catering cottage' Casa do Brasão is an excellent way to go. It can sleep up to six people, has a garden, terrace, patio and wood-burning stove.
See the special offer on
ONE OFF PLACES

A new image of Casa do Brasao on Google maps and Google Earth

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=casa+do+brasao&sll=39.4965,-8.00865&sspn=119.031,360&ie=UTF8&v=2.2&cv=4.3.7204.0836&hl=en&ei=aMYGSvrZFcnMjAfH6rjaCQ&cd=1&dtab=5&cid=39434488,-7360687,14781204345423571709&li=lmd&z=14&t=m

Marvao Chestnut Festival

Why not visit Marvão in the Alto Alentejo on the second weekend of November and join in the tradition of the chesnut festival.
The streets are lined with stalls selling genuine Portuguese handcrafts, artists demonstrating their traditional skills, various street artists and folk music. And of course chestnuts and delicious chestnut cakes.
Marvão is an imposing and peaceful town on the highest crest of the Serra de São Mamede Natural park. It was used as a place of refuge by Ibn Marúan, a Moorish warrior, during the 9th century.The Arab domination ended with the military campaign of the Christian forces led by D. Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal.
Take time out and walk around the picturesque walled town of of white houses, narrow cobbled streets, Gothic arches, Manueline windows and the magnificent castle, with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.
A great day out for the family, and they even sell candy floss for the kids!
SEE THE SPECIAL OFFER TO STAY AT CASA DO BRASAO
On ONE OFF PLACES

http://www.cm-marvao.pt/

Autumn walks in the Alto Alentejo

After a long hot summer we will return to crisp autumn days and a landscape full of rich colours with more agreeable teperatures. It's time to get your walking boots out to discover the delights of this region.
Walk through cork oak forests and olive grooves, along roman roads past ancient dolmens and through historic towns and villages.
Casa do Brasao in the small village of Barretos is perfectly placed for you to find all that this wonderful area has to offer. This stylish self catering cottage near Marvao and Castelo de Vide is the ideal base for your walking holiday, providing walking maps and other useful information to make your stay more enjoyable.

CASA DO BRASAO

The cork oak trees at our self catering cottage near Marvao

Our cork oak bark has at last been harvested.
Ever since purchasing Casa do Brasao we have been wondering when it would happen as it is only harvested every nine years, leaving a beautiful rich red hue to the trunk.
Traditionally cork was a strong industry here with Portugal supplying 50% of the total world production. Over recent years we have seen the importance of this industry decline primarily due to the introduction of plastic corks in bottles. However this ecological material is making a come back in lots of different ways, e.g. roads, boats, tiles, insulation and lot of other products.
It would be good to think that our small contribution would go to the traditional bottle of wine like the locally produced Pedra Basta, a great red wine from the slopes of the Serra de Sao Mamede, named after the stone granite found in the vineyard.
And now our cottage has a rejuvenated look, blending in perfectly with it's natural surroundings.
A STYLISH SELF CATERING COTTAGE NEAR MARVAO

A wonderful film of Marvão, a fortified town in Portugal.

A wonderful film of Marvão, see link:

http://vimeo.com/25161863

New airport opened in the Alentejo

Portugal's Alentejo region is poor, uncrowded, wildly beautiful – and now linked by direct flights to Heathrow.
see link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/may/21/portugal-alentejo-new-flights 

Another way to arrive at Casa do Brasão A self-catering cottage situated on the edge of a small typical Alentejo village with garden & plunge pool. Situated near the town of Marvão an imposing and peaceful town on the highest crest of the Serra de São Mamede Natural park.

THE BEST IN PORTUGAL

http://bestinportugal.com/marvao-castle-in-alentejo

YOU MUST SEE MARVÃO

http://www.youmustsee.com/marvao/

A sketch of the Alentejo

Thanks to Matt for leaving a great sketch of a typical Alentejo house in the village of Cabeçudos, Marvão in the guest book.

an article from Up magazine about Marvão and area

THE PERFECT WEEKEND
Marvão - Frontier pleasures

http://www.upmagazine-tap.com/en/2010/12/marvao-%E2%80%93-frontier-pleasures/http:

A SPECIAL PLACE FOR A PICNIC, NATURALLY!

The Póvoa Dam "Barragem de Póvoa", situated about 11 km Northeast of Castelo de Vide is a large lake and is a great place for a picnic, specially in spring where you will most probably be alone. In the summer months the local Portuguese go for a swim to cool down from the hot Alentejo sun.
The dam was created in 1927 with the objective of providing energy for the region. Professional fishing and motorized boats are not allowed so it is a very tranquil and beautiful place to relax with plenty of water and large granite boulders to keep the children occupied.
Here you can observe a great variety of birds including lots of ducks and the Great Crested Grebe.
On the south side of the lake you can discover a Megalithic burial chamber or tomb (dolmen) " Anta do Curral das Galhordas", an ancient structure built more than 3000 years ago. (Latitude: 39.461200N  Longitude: 7.54425W)
If you are visiting the Alto Alentejo spend the day here and marvel at the stunning natural landscape of this unforgettable region.

A Megalithic treasure in Alto Alentejo

In the Alto Alentejo region of Portugal you will see scattered over the beautiful countryside these very large megalithic stones. You can discover over 50 here including dolmens and menhirs. One that stands out is the Menhir a Meada near the village of Póvoa. It is over 7 meters tall and 1.25 meters diameter, the tallest in the Iberian Peninsular. Nearby is the Coureleiros Megalithic Park, Castelo de Vide, a collection of various dolmens. Also near to the villages of Barretos and Beira there are more including the Anta da Granja.
These large stone structures are over 3,000 years old and it is still a mystery how these ancient civilizations managed to place them there.
Take a walk, go see and touch these magnificent stones and wonder how on earth did our ancestors cut and manage to move them.

Some great comments from the 2010 season.

Casa do Brasão is truly a relaxing peaceful, tranquil place in the country. We truly enjoyed our early morning walks around the village enjoying the sights of this unique area - sheep with bells, friendly neighbours, the rugged but beautiful countryside. You have done a great job restoring your cottage. Appreciate the details. The fire was cozy especially since the weather was a bit on the cool side. Thank you for the adventure that we had here in Portugal exploring the towns in the Alentejo area.
March 2010
Dave and Marilynn, Ontario, Canada


Casa do Brasão seemed to be even better than the pictures on the site! Very well done, nice min of styles and everything in its place. Your guide is very useful, nice walks and good restaurants.
Thanks.
March 2010
Hilde and Frank, Overpelt, Belgium


A serenidade invadiu-nos os sentidos e o bem-estar apoderou-se do nosso ritmo.
Loved the pastoral cowpaths and the chance to get lost amidst the brush and fauna - and return to the comforts of home and sit in front of the blazing fire.
Nada melhor do que o deslumbre da paisagem e o conforto de um lar acolhidor para retemporal energias.
Abril 2010
César e amigos. Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal


Bereits zum vierten mal bereisen wir Portugal doch nicht einmal haben wir ein schoenes Haus bewohnt nicht einmal eine friedlichere Natur erlebt. Es war eine wunderbare Urlaubswoche mit schoenen Wanderungen und Casa do Brasão, Marvão und Castelo de Vide.
May 2010
Vielen Dank, goodbye und adeus.
May 2010. Christine and Johannes.  Deutschland



Many thanks for a lovely week. every one in the village has been very friendly. The cottage is excellent... loads of hot water and lovely pillows. we heard the first cuckoo we have heard since 1998 - when we lived on the Isle of White... it was great to hear once again.
May 2010
Barry and Kate, Fareham, Great Britain


What a fantastic week. We had really been looking forward to our first week in Portugal and it did not disappoint. Casa do Brasão was wonderful you have made a really good job of restoring this lovely building. The village was great and we so enjoyed being amongst the daily life here. Everyone is so friendly as your other guests have already said. We loved the local walks and once you are here you don't need the car, the local tracks have been great. We did the long walk 8km and it was so good we did it again. We did the Marvão one of 7.33 km which was great. Lovely guided tour of the Convent & Church of our Lady (Igreja do Convento de Nossa Senhora de Estrela) by a lovely old gentleman. Didn't understand a word but lovely none the less. A beautiful old folks home. We are keen bird watchers and the birds are amazing here, to see Griffin Vultures and others from the stone table in the garden is a never to be forgotten moment. we have seen 74 species around the area which is a good list. Thanks again for a great stay I am very sure we will be back.
May 2010
Kara and John, Bideford, Great Britain

Leaving with a bit of a crush.
Charmed.
July 2010
Andrew and Molly, York, Great Britain & New York USA

Casa do Brasão has been an excellent base for us to discover an area that has hitherto been unknown to us. Marvão is an absolute must to visit - an amazing place, for both adults and children. The locals are wonderfully friendly. A journey to Spain, Caçeres - spotting eagles and kites on the way, was good. We enjoyed the local walks and had a delicious meal at O Poejo. Casa do Brasão has been wonderfully restored and decorated!  obrigado!.
Rydym wedi mwynhau'r wythnos yn fawr iawn. Diolch.
August 2010
Y telu Llewellyn, Cardiff, Wales ( Pais de Gales)

Dear Dewi and Clare, Muito obrigado for the wonderful stay at Casa do Brasão, a fantastic hideaway and the perfect place to spend our honeymoon. this part of the Alentejo region is really for insiders and we fell in love with Castelo de Vide. We followed some of your recommendations (restaurants and hiking trips) and still haven't discovered most of the regions treasures.
September 2010
Best regards, Ulrike and Wojtek, Zuerich, Switzerland

Had a lovely stay in the beautiful house, excellent views. Compliments for the fine route maps, and also on the interior of the house, really nice! We love the environment / region. And sure come again some time.
October 2010
Barbara, Rotterdam, Holland

We caught the end of the summer weather and had a superb time exploring the hills and villages. It's true, the villagers have been very welcoming and full of smiles and kisses (for our 4 year old daughter!). Our last few days have been sheltering from the gale force winds and floods so there have been long evenings cuddling around the fire place. I got very strange looks from the farmers as I went running in the evenings over the hills. The house is superb and a joy to come home to.
Halloween, October 2010
Matt, Aga and Mia (4yrs), UK