Attractions and Places To See around Sé - Top 20

An old, stone-paved road leads from Portagem through cork oak forests up to Marvão. A strenuous journey in summer. The scenery is breathtaking.

An old stone-paved road leads from Portagem through cork oak forests up to Marvão. A strenuous journey in summer.

The City of Ammaia is the most important Roman ruin in the Northern Alentejo region. Set in the Natural Park of Serra de São Mamede, in São Salvador de Aramenha, near the town of Marvão, the ruins cover almost 25 metric acres. The Roman City of Ammaia was only rediscovered in the last century. It has since been excavated and investigated by scientists from around the world. It is now a museum site. For years the Roman remains were thought to be a villa, but only at the beginning of the last century did one begin to realize that what was buried in the Valley of Aramanha was an actual lost Roman city. Built from scratch in the first century AD, it was a city with a forum, baths and temples over the next three hundred years. The city suffered after the collapse of Rome on the Peninsula in the 3rd century. By the time of the Moorish invasion the 9th century, the remaining residents fled to high hills of Marvão - easy to defend in a time of chaos. Ammaia's stones served to build other places, walls and monuments. The bridge would stand until the 1980s. Pillaged, looted for stone, and buried until at the beginning of the twentieth century the existence of a large city in that area was forgotten. In the 1950s the first excavations were carried out and in recent decades the scope was also intensified, which also was helped by new technologies.

Located very close to the pretty town of Marvão, in the heart of the Alentejo, in the heart of the Serra de S. Mamede Natural Park, the ruins of the Roman city of Ammaia are located in an area of great beauty, attesting to its great heritage. In 1995, archaeological excavations began on the site, uncovering around 3,000 m2, although it is believed that the original area of the city was around twenty hectares. The curious thing about these ruins is that in the 5th and 9th centuries they suffered the effects of a cataclysm that buried the lower part of the urban area, thus belonging to one of the few cities of the empire that, probably due to natural effects, remained preserved and on which no other urban developments were developed throughout history. It is thus possible to study the entire urban fabric of a Roman city, highlighting important structures such as the “podium” of a temple probably from the 1st century, and the existence of public baths, as well as other domestic structures. There is a “site museum” on site, the Ammaia City Monographic Museum, which shows the daily life of the population that lived here, as well as the various objects found and inventoried here, including one of the most important collections of Roman glass in the Iberian Peninsula. A large part of the area occupied by the ruins is located on land owned by the Ammaia City Foundation, whose primary objective is to study, restore and preserve this important National Monument.

Steep climb with access to the mountains.

Fantastic view over the towering Marvão castle. River pool, outdoor pool, magnificent leisure area and excellent restaurants in the area. A privileged starting point for walks, runs and bike rides. "A 16th century bridge reusing materials from a primitive Roman bridge, with a ramped deck, resting on round arches, covered by a medium to large facing and with well-squared stones in the voussoirs. It stands out for its excellent state of conservation, having not undergone any notable alterations in at least the last three centuries. The issue of the bridge's dating is controversial; certain authors such as Keil, Laranjo Coelho, Alarcão, Jorge de Almeida, Josefa Neves and Afonso do Paço consider it to be from the period of Roman occupation, from the early years of the Christian era, forming part of the Roman road that linked Lisbon to Mérida; other authors such as Jorge de Oliveira, based on information from the Treaty of the city of Portalegre de Sotto Maior, a priest in the municipality of Marvão and born in the parish of Alegrete in the mid-16th century, place its construction in the 16th or 17th century, assuming that stonework from the old Roman bridge was reused. which, together with the bridges of Madalena (see IPA.00020704) and Ribeira das Trutas (see IPA.00020703) served the inhabitants of the Roman city of Ammaia (see IPA.00001844) and travelers traveling to Mérida, thus having a prominent importance from a geopolitical point of view at the time." in http://www.monumentos.gov.pt/Site/APP_PagesUser/SIPA.aspx?id=20702

Capela de Sant'Ana is located in the city and municipality of Portalegre, in the district of the same name, in Portugal. At the entrance to the city on the south side, it is about 400 meters from the ancient walls of the Castle of Portalegre. History This temple dates back to the 18th century, according to local tradition, in the place where, in the 16th century, there was a primitive hermitage under the same name. Characteristics The interior has a single nave with the main chapel, to which four steps go up. The floor is tiled, and it has two canopies and red curtains. It has a painted ashlar from the late 18th century. On the walls there are panels on canvas framed in gilded woodwork representing: Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple Adoration of the Shepherds birth of the virgin Death of Santa Ana Virgin learning to read Holy Family Of the two existing chandeliers, only one remains. The tower rises over three round arches, and is topped by a conical dome between four pinnacles and two stonework eyelets. Source: Wikipedia consulted on 3/1/2023.

Not a very spectacular walk, but a tough climb just before the most beautiful part of the walk