Friday, May 16, 2008

Evora, Portugal (May 9-10, 2008)

Evora, in southern Portugal, is a city rich in both history and architecture, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Occupied by the Romans and the Moors, and later a leading center of Portuguese art, the town is full of ruins and ancient monuments that have been folded into the modern architecture.

Evora's local specialty is cork, and countless shops sell everything from carvings and cork-covered journals or picture frames to beautiful hats and purses.
Evora's impressive university courtyard, decorated with azulejos (blue painted tiles); the university was founded in the 1550s
Evora's Roman-Gothic Se cathedral and cloisters, built during the 13th and 14th centuries
Pieces of the original Roman wall and 16th century aqueduct can be found throughout the town incorporated into the modern architecture; here's a row of houses built into the arches of the aqueduct
Colorful Praca de Giraldo, with the 16th century Igreja de Santo Antao
The walls and pillars of the Capela dos Ossos, or Chapel of Bones, in the Church of Sao Francisco, are covered with bones disinterred from Evora's overflowing cemetery in the 17th century
The 1st century Roman Templo de Diana is the best-preserved Roman temple in Portugal

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