Easygoing Alentejo for craftmanship lovers

Many miles beyond Lisbon, ancient and wise hands weave the country’s most coveted blankets. Closer to the city, there’s a historic village immersed in other textile arts, and brilliant gastronomic traditions. And then there’s a special place where we literally get our hands dirty with clay, learning an ancestral craft. This is the calm Alentejo of the slow season, full of relaxing experiences.

When Portuguese King João V commissioned his royal tapestries in the 18th century, there was always an Arraiolos carpet beneath his feet. The intricate wool patterns were crafted by village artisans following techniques perfected over centuries of Moorish influence.

Only about an hour southeast of Lisbon, this town is indeed a captivating journey. Over the last 800 years, Arraiolos has preserved magnificent traditions. The wool carpets became symbols of Portuguese excellence, while the restaurants produce flavors that tell stories of cultural fusion. And, on the top of its central hill, stands the famous circular castle walls — one of the world’s rarest fortifications. All symbols of Alentejo truthfulness and slow-paced spirit!

Portugal’s golden heart holds other secrets woven into fabric – where merino sheep, descendants of Berber flocks, graze endless plains under brilliant skies. Their fleece becomes something extraordinary: blankets that once warmed aristocrats and humble shepherds alike.

In Reguengos de Monsaraz, there’s a factory that must be visited, where master artisans preserve this vanishing talent, their hands dancing across wooden looms (some mechanisms date to centuries past). Each thread tells stories of survival and elegance. This isn’t merely textile production – it’s cultural alchemy, transforming wool into wearable history.

The Alentejo is also a land where the very old art of pottery flourishes across countless towns. For every place, a style. Take Flor da Rosa, for instance: here, artisans master fourteen traditional ways of producing kitchen vessels, each of them always a unique piece. The masters at Nisa use red clay decorated with embedded quartz stones, while in Estremoz they specialize in sacred figurines and whimsical characters.

Now comes your invitation to join this timeless craft. Discover its secrets in an intimate workshop where those master potters will reveal to you the virtues and the delicate dance of shaping and firing. Return home bearing both story and creation, your hands having touched Portugal’s earthen soul!