Evora - Portugal

In a cobbled plaza in the middle of the walled city of Evora, Portugal, 14 Corinthian columns rise on a stone base, a skeletal hint of what was a second-century Roman temple. Across the way stands a former 15th-century monastery, now the Pousada dos Loios, the city's best hostelry, and just beyond, a turreted tower of the medieval cathedral.
Nearby streets are lined with whitewashed houses decorated with colorful azulejos (tiles) and wrought-iron balconies, many dating from the 16th to the 18th century.

No wonder everything within Evora's walls is designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Everything - the 22 churches, 4,000-plus buildings, plazas, bubbling fountains, Moorish arches and arcades - is listed as "the finest example of a city of the golden age of Portugal after the destruction of Lisbon by the earthquake of 1755." The wonder is that, despite its glorious treasures, Evora is so little known.

To Americans, Portugal is Lisbon, the golf courses and beaches of the Algarve, and maybe Estoril and Sintra. What a pity. The enchanting surprises of Evora are less than 100 miles east of Lisbon.


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