Serpa - City of the Serpent/Dragon

Dragon and Medieval lovers, there is a town for you out there in the Portuguese Alentejo region. It has charm, ruins, great food as well as a rich history and kind people. This is a small city of about 15.000 inhabitants and it lies in a very fertile landscape where they grow olive trees, vines, wheat and loads of sheep graze quietly under the sun.

You can't miss the Medieval remains all around town. The castle, the houses, the outline of the city... I for one love the city heraldry which is showing a castle with a dragon or big serpent guarding it on several places around town. This is not the first time Portugal or a city is connected to serpents, they probably really existed in a huge amount of numbers in ancient times and where mentioned living in this territory by Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans for example. The Greek name for Portugal was Ophiusa which literally means Land of Serpents. The Dragon figure can also be connected in Christian terms to São Jorge and the dragon (in this case most probably representing the Moors) but the symbol is probably older than that in this region.

Since the region has various sites rich in metallurgical deposits you've got activity and fortified settlements in the area since the Copper Age. Some of the oldest remains in this area where probably from Phoenician occupations who lived here on a fortified hill top. Then the Romans used this town as a day stop from the city of Beja (Pax Iulia) in Roman times. They really turned this region into an agricultural center, many Roman Latifundiae (big farms) and villae are dispersed through this landscape close to Serpa.

The Moors took over the control of the landscape, continuing to develop the agricultural aspects and canalisation of water. The town was named Scheberim under Moorish rule. When the Christian king D. Afonso Henriques arrived in this area he conquered the castle in 1166 A.D. It was then lost and won again several times until the reign of the king D. Dinis, in 1295, who also began rebuilding the castle, making it look much like it does today with it's encircling walls defending the city. In Medieval documents we can see that pastoralism, commerce and agriculture was the main activities in this town through centuries. Many noble families had both town houses in the city and agricultural estates on the outskirts, you can still admire them today. The most famous one is the estate of the Count of Ficalho within the castle walls, that is where the water of the big aqueduct leads to, just to that property, not to the households of the city. Imagine having a proper aqueduct all to yourself, quite fancy I must say!

The closeness to the Spanish border was a bit of a problem, during the Restauration Wars in the 1600s most of the fortifications were destroyed by the Spanish and later rebuilt after the Portuguese had reconquered them so as to not fall into Spanish hands again. The final siege here was in 1707 by the Spanish Duke of Ossuna.

The best part of this town is how stroll friendly it is! The dwindling Medieval roads make you wander like in a labyrinth, which is their purpose to make attackers not know their way or position. The white and grey painted houses are of Moorish style with very few windows out to the street and low roofed. Lovely chimneys and warm tiles tops it off so do try to get to a view point closer to the castle to really enjoy the city from above. The streets are quiet except for the dogs and cats which run zig-zag in order to find some food or mark their territories. In almost every corner there is a cheese shop. Do. Buy. The. Cheese.... Fresh and creamy or spicy and mature, whatever floats your boat. This town knows how to turn milk from sheep, goats and cows into a healthy food supply to accompany your meals.

The city of Serpa lies between Beja, Évora and Moura. If you are in the neighbourhood at least stop for a leg stretch where you can have a look at the old town and then some lunch or dinner. You won't regret it.