ÉVORA - Portugal - page 210

Visiting the University: The university's main entrance is the old courtyard on the
ground level (downhill from the original Jesuit chapel). Enter the inner courtyard. While
it's fun to visit when classes are in session, on Sunday all the rooms—though empty—are
wide open for visitors. Attractive blue-and-white tiles (one of the biggest and best-
preserved collections south of Lisbon) ring the walls of the courtyard as well as the
classrooms lining the courtyard arcades. Peek into the classrooms; the tiles portray the
topic of the class originally taught in each room. Notice the now-ignored pulpits. (Origin-
ally, Jesuit priests were the teachers, and information coming from a pulpit was not to be
questioned.)
On Sundays, you can enter the room directly across the courtyard from the entrance.
Major university events are held here under the watchful eyes of Cardinal Henrique (the
painting to the left) and young King Sebastian (to the right).
The university shop to the right of this room gives you a great look at the tiles. In the
16th century, this was a classroom for students of astronomy—note the spheres and navig-
ational instruments mingled with cupids and pastoral scenes. Imagine the class back then.
Having few topics, if any, the students (males only) took notes as the professor taught in
Latin from the lectern in the back.
Eating: The university cafeteria, open only on weekdays, thrives with students and
offers anyone super-cheap meals (Mon-Fri 8:30-18:00, closed Sat-Sun, WC). It's located
off the second smaller courtyard behind the main one; notice the big marble washbasin
just outside.
Rota dos Vinhos do Alentejo Wine Tasting Center —This inviting place offers free
tastings of three or four local wines, bottles of which are also available for purchase.
They can give you details about the Alentejo wine route and schedule visits to nearby
cellars (free, Mon 14:00-19:00, Tue-Fri 11:00-19:00, Sat 10:00-13:00, closed Sun, Eng-
lish information sheets, Praça Joaquim António de Aguiar 20-21, tel. [phone],
www.vinhosdoalentejo.pt ).
Near Évora
Megalithic Sights —Near Évora, you'll find stony sights, including menhirs (solitary
standing stones, near Guadalupe and elsewhere), cromlechs (rocks in an oval formation
similar to Stonehenge, at Cromeleque dos Almendres), and dolmens (such as the rock
tombs of Anta Grande do Zambujeiro, near Valverde, and Anta Capela de São Brissos,
near the town of São Brissos). The two most interesting to visit are Cromeleque dos Al-
mendres and the Anta Grande do Zambujeiro, both described next. Depending on how
much you want to see, you can do a 15- to 45-mile loop from Évora by bustour or hire a
guide with a car (see “Tours in Évora,” earlier), or rentacar to do the loop on your own
(Évora's TI has a list of rental-car agencies and a map of the sites).