Tour One – “Town of Cuba”
Start the tour near the Railway Station in the Garden of the Combatants.
Some points of interest in the town of Cuba:
• Garden of the Combatants and Monument in honour of the Combatants
• Court Square – Court Building (former palace of King Manuel I and local jail)
• Dr. João Vaz street – Home of the writer Fialho de Almeida (next to the building of the Parish Council of Cuba)
• Church Square – Church of St. Vincent (17th/18th centuries) visit the Church and the Treasury
• Arrufa’s Cellar – typical winery from the Alentejo
• Church Square, Long Street and Lisbon Street – Manor House Morais de Almeida and House of Familia Borralho
• Manuel Antonio de Castro Park and Picnic Park
• April 25th Garden – at the bottom of the garden there’s the Church of Our Lady of the Rock with its magnificent Manueline portal (16th century)
• Convent and Carmo Church
• Mouraria and Carmo streets, the oldest part of the town.
• Fountain Square
• Colon Centre
• Handicrafts: Antonio Bicho (Master Caluta), Rua Fonte dos Leões
• Handicrafts: MarioGrilo – Rua do Penedo,1
• Fialho de Almeida Cultural Center and Fialho de Almeida Monument – The Cats
• Grave of Fialho de Almeida – Cemetery in Cuba.
In the Parishes:
• Faro do Alentejo
• Church of St. Louis 17th century- The side walls and the triumphal arch are covered with frescoes from the 17th century and Mannerist period.
Tour Two: Vila Alva
• Church of Our Lady of the Incarnation, possibly of Arabic origin, is a construction of the 16th century, with beautiful frescoes from the 16th and 17th centuries, unique in the county.
• Chapel of Our Lady of the Dam (São Caetano), 16th and 17th centuries (4 km from the village).
This small chapel brings together two unique features in the county where the fresco is mixed with the tile, creating a unique setting of religious architecture in the Alentejo.
• Roman Bridge – considered a national monument, was part of the Roman road connecting Beja to Evora. It is 120m long, has 26 arches and Visigoth and Arabic origin.
• Roman Dam – near the junction of the road Cuba – Vila Alva – Vila Ruiva, and a few meters from the Chapel, we can still find the thick wall with the remains of the Roman dam used for agricultural purposes.
• Albergaria dos Fusos
• Chapel of Our Lady of the Hill, 16th/18th century.
• Dam of Albergaria dos Fusos- Pleasant place for water sports, fishing and recreation.
Other places of interest:
Sacred Art and Archaeology Museum – Vila Alva
Typical Wineries – Cuba and Vila Alva
Dolmens – Vila Alva and Albergaria
Old Town Hall / Parish Council (ladders with the stones of the old pillory)
Mural Painting route [Proposal for 1 day]
[Morning]
• Church of St. Louis [Faro do Alentejo];
• Church of “Recolhimento do Carmo” [Cuba];
• Visit to a traditional pastry of the Municipality of Cuba.
• Lunch [Traditional restaurant in the Council of Cuba].
[Afternoon]
• Church of Our Lady of the Incarnation (Nossa Senhora da Encarnação) [Vila Ruiva];
• Church of Vila Alva and visit to the Museum of Sacred Art [Vila Alva].
Route Mural Council [Proposal for a 1 /2 day]
• Church of St. Louis [Faro do Alentejo];
• Church of “Recolhimento do Carmo” [Cuba];
• Church of Our Lady of the Incarnation (Nossa Senhora da Encarnação) [Vila Ruiva].
Note: The suggested thematic routes are proposals of the municipality of Cuba, but can be changed, according to the participants’ interests.
