Monday, May 31, 2010

Setúbal's Guide: Travel to Azeitão

Nestling among olive and cork trees, Azeitão is a pretty and prosperous little village situated in the region of Setúbal at the foot of the Serra da Arrábida.

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nown for its red wine, olives and creamy sheep’s cheese, the latter prized as one of the best in the country, and also some of the finest quintas (villas or country estates).

What to see and do in Azeitão:
  • Quinta da Bacalhôa: 2 km away from Azeitão stands the Quinta da Bacalhôa, considered one of the loveliest country houses in Portugal. Built by King Manuel I as a summer palace for his mother, it is a beautiful Renaissance villa, restored by an American and now owned by a Portuguese entrepreneur. With its melon domes and Italianate loggias, the house features a garden (visitors are allowed to walk around) with rare 16th century azulejo panels.
  • Palace of the Tâvoras: at the entrance to the village stands this great classical palace, one of the great families of Portugal. Not open to visitors, but with a visible Renaissance exterior.
  • Wine Cellars: Located in the centre of town, and open to visitors all year round, the Wine cellars produce the region’s renowned moscatel wine, as well as a wide variety of popular red and white table wines. Visitors here can sample some of Portugal's best red table wines and see its assembly-line production.
  • Azeitão's cheese: This is a typical creamy cheese made with sheep raw milk. The blessing of a mild climate and abundant pasture is the perfect place to produce this cheese that has a peculiar flavour sometimes defined as having a "wild riste of sweet herbs". It is a cured cheese, of a buttery, semi-soft consistency, white or light yellow in colour, with few or no holes.
  • Beaches: The best beach in the region lies at Portinho da Arrábida, with crystalline turquoise waters and a batch of sleepy waterside shanty restaurants where grilled sardines are the order of the day.
  • Walking tours: There are several walking tours available in and around Azeitão, like the "Louro mountain walk", where you can see windmills, arqueology treasures and also have great panoramics views of the Setúbal bay and beyond.
And if you visit Azeitão and love it so much that you want to live here, land in this area is available for building.

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2 comments:

  1. Que saudades, nasci em Vila Nogueira e sempre que vou a Portugal de férias vou lá sempre passar uns dias.

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  2. Grande blog.... Setúbal e a região em geral precisam de incentivo, valorização e principalmente promoção. Os media só fala da região pelos maus motivos.
    www.rportableportugal.com

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