In the city of Evora, historic capital of the Alentejo region, in south-central Portugal

 “Any Portuguese town looks like bride’s finery – something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.”

-– Mary McCarthy
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(in south-central Portugal) The city of Evora is the historic capital of the Alentejo region and serves as the seat of the Évora District. Due to its well-preserved Old Town center (which is still partially enclosed by medieval walls), and many historical monuments (including a Roman Temple), Évora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

+ An ancient city, Evora is one of Portugal's top destinations for culture-oriented tourism, with architecture from different periods of history. Named "Ebora" by the Celts, it is known for one of the best-preserved Roman monuments in Iberia, and its medieval streets give an idea of what Lisbon looked like before its destruction by the Great Earthquake of 1755. As the main city of the Alentejo region, Evora is the perfect base to explore many of Portugal’s most enchanting towns. Within its medieval wall is its Cathedral, Renaissance palaces, a macabre chapel (covered with thousands of human skulls and bones), and attractive squares. Just outside town is the “Portuguese Stonehenge" (the Cromlech of Almendres), a group of stones standing as the most important megalithic group in the Iberian Peninsula. Nearby is Europe's largest dolmen, the Great Dolmen of Zambujeiro. (Together, they make up one of Portugal’s most delightful destinations.)

+ Evora lies in a fertile valley surrounded by low hills, 70 miles (110 km) east of Lisbon. From 80-to-72 BCE, it was the headquarters of the Roman commander Quintus Sertorius, and it long remained an important Roman military center. Later it was called Liberalitas Julia because of certain municipal privileges bestowed upon it by Julius Caesar. About 712 Evora was conquered by the Moors, who named it Jabura, and it remained under Moorish rule until around 1166. In the 15th–16th century the kings of Portugal began residing regularly in Evora. The city’s bishopric, founded in the 5th century, was raised to an archbishopric in the 16th. From 1663 to 1665 it was in Spanish hands. In 1832 Dom Miguel, pretender to the Portuguese throne, retreating before Pedro I (Dom Pedro), took refuge in Evora; in the hilltop citadel of neighboring Evoramonte, the convention by which Miguel was banished was signed. Fought over for centuries, Evora has a coat of arms that features two severed human heads.

+ An inn, the Pousada dos Lóios, is situated on the grounds of the 15th century former convent of Lóios. Just outside the inn is the small Roman Temple of Diana (a name for which no valid authority exists), which dates from the 1st–3rd century CE. After 1640 the city became a center for music study and performance in connection with the cathedral and university. The Museum of Evora includes archaeological and art exhibits. Evora is also a lively university town, and its many attractive restaurants serve up hearty Alentejan cuisine.