Aliança Underground Museum, Wine and art museum in Sangalhos, Portugal.
Aliança Underground Museum spreads through roughly 1.5 kilometers of tunnels beneath a winery, combining wine production with art exhibitions in stone chambers. The underground space contains both aging cellars where wine rests in oak barrels and galleries displaying multiple art collections in adjoining areas.
The museum began in 2010 as a combined venture mixing wine production with art display in renovated tunnels. This approach transformed an existing winery space into a cultural venue without separating its original function.
The collection of African ethnographic objects creates a dialogue with contemporary works from Zimbabwe, while traditional Portuguese tiles and Caldas ceramics reflect the region's craft heritage. Visitors encounter these pieces in spaces carved directly from stone, where the underground setting adds weight to their presence.
Visitors should wear comfortable shoes since the tunnel paths are uneven and damp in places. Guided groups move through both art areas and production zones, so expect to walk on stone floors throughout the experience.
The storage barrels hold thousands of liters of wine and spirits stored in oak, while eight distinct art collections hang and stand just nearby in the same tunnel system. This pairing of working cellar with gallery space creates an unusual experience you rarely find elsewhere.
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