Évora, UNESCO heritage city in Alentejo, Portugal
Évora is a walled town in Alentejo whose historic core spreads across gentle hills and is crossed by narrow lanes. The built fabric shows whitewashed houses with yellow trim bands, small squares and archways that merge into a core of Roman, Moorish and medieval structures.
The Romans established a fortified post here from 57 BC onward that grew into a major trading town under Moorish and later Christian rule in the Middle Ages. In the 16th century the place reached its peak as a royal residence and seat of a university.
The townscape preserves its Roman, Moorish and medieval roots in an ensemble that locals and students cross daily. The white house fronts and arcaded passages shape a rhythm that has continued in the habits of residents for centuries.
The old town core can be explored on foot in roughly two hours, with comfortable shoes recommended because of the cobblestones and slopes. Those who walk early in the morning or in the late afternoon will encounter fewer visitors and more pleasant temperatures in summer.
In the southern part of the old wall stands a small 16th-century chapel whose interior walls are completely lined with human bones. The arrangement of skulls and bones follows a symmetrical pattern that visitors often contemplate longer than expected.
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