Évora & Roman Temple

Évora is the unofficial capital of the Alentejo and one of the best-preserved historical cities in Portugal. The entire old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986 — and rightly so. Within the medieval city walls from the 14th century, 2,000 years of history are stacked: a Roman temple, a Gothic cathedral, a Renaissance university, and one of Europe's most macabre sights.

The Templo Romano (often mistakenly called the Temple of Diana) from the 2nd/3rd century AD is the best-preserved Roman structure on the Iberian Peninsula. Fourteen Corinthian columns with marble capitals rise above the Praça do Conde de Vila Flor. Amazingly, the temple only survived because it was converted into a slaughterhouse in the Middle Ages — the walls between the columns protected the ancient structure from decay. The medieval additions were only removed in 1871.

Directly opposite is the Igreja de São João Evangelista (Lóios Church), whose interior is completely covered with blue-and-white azulejo tiles from the 18th century — breathtakingly beautiful and far less crowded than the cathedral. The €5 entrance fee is absolutely worth it.

The Sé Catedral from the 12th/13th century towers over the city. The Romanesque-Gothic cathedral has two asymmetrical towers and a roof that can be climbed (access via the cloister, €3.50 extra). From above, you can overlook the entire old town and the endless Alentejo plain beyond.

The absolute highlight — or absolute nightmare, depending on your perspective — is the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) in the Igreja de São Francisco. Built by three Franciscan monks in the 16th century from the bones of an estimated 5,000 people. Skulls, thigh bones, and spines cover walls and columns. Above the entrance, it reads: „Nós ossos que aqui estamos, pelos vossos esperamos" — "We bones that are here, await yours." Not for the faint-hearted, but unforgettable.