Castelo de Serpa

Serpa’s castle is not a single fortress but a whole fortified town: a medieval walled enclosure on a hill above the Alentejo plain, crowned by an aqueduct and a monumental water wheel that have become the symbol of the town. Classified as a National Monument, the walls and the old white streets inside them make Serpa one of the most rewarding stops in the Baixo Alentejo.

A frontier stronghold

The site was fortified by the Moors in the 8th century, taken and lost by Christian forces through the 12th and 13th centuries, and finally secured in 1232. King Dinis granted the town a charter in 1295 and rebuilt the defences. On the western stretch of the walls, a 17th-century aqueduct carried water from a great nora — a water wheel mounted over a well — to the palace of the Counts of Ficalho, whose manor still stands against the wall. The castle was badly damaged in the War of the Spanish Succession, when a powder magazine exploded in 1707.

What to see

• The gates of Moura and Beja, flanked by cylindrical towers
• The aqueduct and the great nora, Serpa’s defining image
• The archaeological museum, housed within the walls
• The Church of Santa Maria and the Clock Tower
• The town itself — whitewashed, unhurried and full of azulejo detail

Practical information

Serpa lies in the district of Beja, close to the Spanish border and about 30 kilometres from Beja itself. The walls and streets are free to explore at any time; the museum keeps regular opening hours. The town is also the home of the famous Queijo de Serpa cheese and of the Cante Alentejano, recognised by UNESCO.

Image credit: Castelo de Serpa by Senhormario — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.