Alcanena

On the edge of the limestone plateau between Santarém and the Serra de Aire, Alcanena is a town shaped by two things: water and leather. The springs of the Alviela rise a short way from its streets, and the tanneries have worked the hides that made the municipality’s living for generations, a trade with roots the local heritage records trace back centuries.

A young town on old rock

The municipality is young by Portuguese standards — created in 1914 from parishes of Torres Novas and Santarém — but the land beneath is among the oldest landscapes in the country: the karst plateau of the Estremenho limestone massif, where rivers disappear into the rock and rise again in great springs. The best known are the Olhos de Água of the Alviela, a short walk from the town, where the water wells up in blue pools at the foot of the plateau.

Plateau, caves and craft

The parish of Serra de Santo António occupies a high plateau crossed by walking routes with long views over the Ribatejo plain, and the caves of the region — from the show caves of Mira de Aire Caves to the hidden swallow holes — run beneath it. In the town, the tannery tradition continues in modern form, and Minde keeps its old wool-weaving fame. The pilgrim town of Fátima and the castle town of Torres Novas frame the municipality on either side.

What to see

• The Olhos de Água springs of the Alviela
• The plateau walks of Serra de Santo António
• The caves of the limestone massif
• The tannery and wool-working heritage

Practical information

Alcanena lies in the Santarém district, in the historic Ribatejo, on the road between Torres Novas and the Fátima plateau. The plateau is exposed in bad weather: bring wind protection for the Serra walks and check the official websites before setting out.

Image credit: Alcanena – Portugal by Vitor Oliveira — CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.