Discover

What to Visit

From the village to the archaeological site, from Almodôvar to the Mira reservoir: what to see in and around Santa Clara-a-Nova, in the Baixo Alentejo.

In the Village and Nearby

The essentials of Santa Clara-a-Nova: a settlement over two thousand years old, the museum that keeps its finds, and the church of the patron saint.

Property of Public Interest

Mesas do Castelinho

1-2 hours

Fortified Iron Age settlement about 2 km from the village, with a Roman-era quarter and an Islamic fort. A listed Property of Public Interest.

Manuel Vicente Guerreiro Museum

1 hour

Archaeology and ethnography museum in the village centre, with finds from Mesas do Castelinho and memories of rural life.

Parish Church of Saint Clare of Assisi

30 minutes

The patron saint's church, probably from the 16th-17th centuries, with popular Baroque altars and an 18th-century bell tower.

Walking in the Landscape

Informal walks through the cork and holm oak montado, the village streets and the walkways of the archaeological site.

Mesas do Castelinho

Property of Public Interest

Mesas do Castelinho is the main attraction of Santa Clara-a-Nova: a settlement founded at the end of the 5th century BC and occupied until the early 2nd century AD, then reoccupied between the 9th and 11th centuries by an Islamic fortification. It sits about 2 km from the village, beside the Ribeira de Mora stream, and has been listed as a Property of Public Interest since 1990. Access to the outdoor site is free. Since 2021 it has walkways accessible to visitors with reduced mobility, audio guides for group visits and QR codes with information in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish. The full story of the settlement, the Southwest Script and the Lizard-Man legend are told on the dedicated Mesas do Castelinho page.

Dedicated Mesas do Castelinho page

Details

Distance from the village	~2 km
Founded	Late 5th century BC
Abandoned	Early 2nd century AD
Islamic reoccupation	9th to 11th centuries
Listed status	Property of Public Interest (1990)

Highlights

◆Stela with Southwest Script (found in 2008)
◆Accessible walkways (since 2021)
◆Audio guides and multilingual QR codes
◆Views over the plain and the hills

Practical Information

Suggested duration: 1-2 hours

Entry: Free (outdoor site)

Contact: Almodôvar Town Hall: +351 286 660 600

•Start at the Manuel Vicente Guerreiro Museum in the village for context
•Comfortable shoes
•Water and a hat in summer

Manuel Vicente Guerreiro Museum

The Manuel Vicente Guerreiro Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum opened in 2015 at Rua da Estrada Municipal 29, in the centre of Santa Clara-a-Nova. It has a space entirely dedicated to archaeology, displaying part of the finds from Mesas do Castelinho, and an ethnographic collection on rural life, trades and the tools of the plain and the hills. It is the best first stop of any visit: it gives you the context you need before heading up to the archaeological site, about 2 km away.

Details

Address	Rua da Estrada Municipal 29, Santa Clara-a-Nova
Opening hours	Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00-18:00
Closed	Mondays
Opened	2015

Highlights

◆Finds from Mesas do Castelinho
◆Ethnographic collection
◆Memory of traditional trades

Practical Information

Suggested duration: 1 hour

Contact: Almodôvar Town Hall: +351 286 660 600, geral@cm-almodovar.pt

•Ideal first stop, before Mesas do Castelinho

Parish Church of Saint Clare of Assisi

The Parish Church of Saint Clare of Assisi stands on Largo da Igreja, at the heart of the village. It was probably built in the 16th-17th centuries and remains in continuous parish use. Inside, the carved Baroque altars of popular character stand out; the bell tower was remodelled in the 18th century. The church hosts the celebrations of the year, including the Festa de Santa Clara on 12 August. The story of the patron saint, Clare of Assisi, and the reason behind the village's name are told on a dedicated page.

The story of Saint Clare of Assisi

Details

Probable period	16th-17th centuries
Bell tower	Remodelled in the 18th century
Patron saint's feast	12 August
Location	Largo da Igreja

Highlights

◆Popular Baroque carved altars
◆18th-century bell tower
◆Whitewashed facade

Practical Information

Suggested duration: 30 minutes

Entry: Free

•Keep quiet and respectful
•Ask permission before photographing during services

Walking in the Landscape

There are no municipally waymarked walking trails in Santa Clara-a-Nova or at Mesas do Castelinho, but the landscape invites you to walk: the cork and holm oak montado, the strawberry trees, rockroses and wild lavender, and the high points with views over the village and the Serra do Mú. Informal suggestions: a stroll through the whitewashed streets of the village, the walk out to Mesas do Castelinho (about 2 km) and the route along the walkways of the archaeological site itself, accessible to visitors with reduced mobility. Sunrise and sunset give the best light. In spring the fields bloom; autumn is medronho (strawberry tree fruit) season.

Highlights

◆Cork and holm oak montado
◆Walkways at Mesas do Castelinho
◆Views over the village and the hills

Practical Information

•Comfortable shoes
•Plenty of water (essential in summer)
•Avoid the hottest hours in summer (12:00-17:00)
•Hat and sunscreen
•Tell someone where you are going

Local tradition also speaks of the Monte Branco necropolis, a megalithic heritage reference in the surroundings, without published studies that would allow us to say more for now.

In Almodôvar (15 km)

The municipal seat brings together the museum of the oldest script in the Iberian Peninsula, a historic centre with a 16th-century church and a Franciscan convent, and a viewpoint to end the day.

MESA, Museum of the Southwest Script

1 hour

The reference museum for the oldest script in the Iberian Peninsula, still undeciphered. In the centre of Almodôvar.

Almodôvar Historic Centre

1-2 hours

The Igreja Matriz de Santo Ildefonso, designed in 1592, and the former Franciscan convent that is now the Cultural Forum.

Santo Amaro Viewpoint and the Night Sky

Chapel and viewpoint with a picnic area at the exit toward the A2, and a dark sky the municipality promotes for stargazing.

MESA, Museum of the Southwest Script

MESA (Museu da Escrita do Sudoeste) is dedicated to the Southwest Script, considered the oldest writing system in the Iberian Peninsula, dating from the 8th to 5th centuries BC and still undeciphered. It displays inscribed funerary stelae found in the municipality and covers 2,500 years of the history of writing in this territory. This is where the terracotta head from Mesas do Castelinho is on display, blending Mediterranean iconography with Celtic-style eyes. The museum offers guided visits, has a shop and is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.

Details

Address	Rua do Relógio, 7700-065 Almodôvar
Opening hours	Daily, 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00
Closed	Public holidays
Phone	+351 286 665 357
Email	mesa@cm-almodovar.pt

Highlights

◆Stelae with Southwest Script
◆Terracotta head from Mesas do Castelinho
◆Guided visits and shop
◆Accessible to visitors with reduced mobility

Practical Information

Suggested duration: 1 hour

Contact: +351 286 665 357, mesa@cm-almodovar.pt

•Combine it with a stroll through Almodôvar's historic centre

Almodôvar Historic Centre

The Igreja Matriz de Santo Ildefonso (main church) was designed in 1592 by the architect Nicolau de Frias and follows the "hall church" typology, with naves of equal height. The Convento de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, founded in 1680 by the Franciscans (the order of Saint Francis, Clare's mentor), today houses the municipality's Cultural Forum. It is worth adding a wander past the local shops to try the municipality's products: medronho brandy, honey and cheese.

Details

Main church	Designed in 1592 by Nicolau de Frias
Typology	Hall church (igreja-salão)
Convent	Founded in 1680 (Franciscan)
Today	Almodôvar Cultural Forum

Highlights

◆Igreja Matriz de Santo Ildefonso
◆Convento de Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Cultural Forum)
◆Regional products: medronho, honey, cheese

Practical Information

Suggested duration: 1-2 hours

Entry: Free

Contact: Almodôvar Town Hall: +351 286 660 600

Santo Amaro Viewpoint and the Night Sky

The Santo Amaro chapel and viewpoint sit at the exit of Almodôvar toward the A2 motorway, in a space with a picnic area, access ramps and parking. Far from big-city lights, the municipality promotes its dark night sky for stargazing. Bring a blanket and stay after sunset.

Highlights

◆Viewpoint and picnic area
◆Access ramps and parking
◆Dark sky for stargazing

Practical Information

Entry: Free

•Bring a warm layer for the evening, even in summer

The Wider Region

From the upper Mira valley to the Atlantic coast: the Santa Clara reservoir, the river that flows north, and one of the best preserved coastlines in Europe.

Santa Clara Dam and Reservoir

1-3 hours

The great reservoir of the Rio Mira, in the Odemira municipality: 1,986 hectares of water among montado hills.

Rio Mira

It rises in the Serra do Caldeirão, in the Almodôvar municipality, and flows about 130 km to the Atlantic, from south to north.

Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park

Half a day to several days

Over 100 km of preserved coastline between Porto Covo and Burgau: the only place in the world where white storks nest on sea cliffs.

Santa Clara Dam and Reservoir

The Santa Clara dam, inaugurated on 11 May 1969, created a 1,986-hectare reservoir on the Rio Mira, described by municipal sources as one of the largest in Europe; at its inauguration it was Portugal's largest artificial lake. Its total capacity is 480 million cubic metres. It lies in the Odemira municipality, 4 km from Santa Clara-a-Velha. Mind the name: Santa Clara-a-Velha is a different village, also dedicated to Saint Clare, and it is from that village that the dam takes its name. The calm waters of the reservoir are used for canoeing, rowing and sport fishing (largemouth bass, carp and crayfish).

Details

Inaugurated	11 May 1969
Reservoir	1,986 hectares
Capacity	480 million m³
River	Mira
Municipality	Odemira (4 km from Santa Clara-a-Velha)

Highlights

◆Canoeing and rowing
◆Sport fishing: largemouth bass, carp, crayfish
◆Sunset over the water
◆Montado hills all around

Practical Information

Suggested duration: 1-3 hours

Entry: Free

Contact: Odemira Town Hall: +351 283 320 900

•Access via Santa Clara-a-Velha (Odemira)
•Great picnic spot
•Sunscreen and water in summer

Rio Mira

The Rio Mira rises in the Serra do Caldeirão, in the Almodôvar municipality, and runs about 130 km before reaching the Atlantic at Vila Nova de Milfontes. It is one of the few Portuguese rivers that flow from south to north. The territory of Santa Clara-a-Nova drains into the Mira through the Ribeira de Mora, the stream that runs past Mesas do Castelinho. Following the river is a good thread for exploring the region: from the hills to the Santa Clara reservoir, and from there to the river mouth and the beaches of Milfontes.

Details

Source	Serra do Caldeirão (Almodôvar municipality)
Length	~130 km
Mouth	Vila Nova de Milfontes
Curiosity	Flows from south to north

Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park

The Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina protects 74,786 hectares and more than 100 km of preserved coastline, from Porto Covo in the Alentejo to Burgau in the Algarve. It is the only place in the world where white storks nest on sea cliffs. The botanical inventory runs to around 750 species, 12 of them endemic. From Santa Clara-a-Nova, the nearest access is via the Odemira coast, with Vila Nova de Milfontes at the mouth of the Mira and wild beaches such as Zambujeira do Mar.

Details

Area	74,786 hectares
Coastline	Over 100 km
Flora	~750 species (12 endemic)
Municipalities	Odemira, Sines, Aljezur, Vila do Bispo

Highlights

◆White storks nesting on sea cliffs (unique in the world)
◆Wild beaches
◆Endemic flora
◆Rota Vicentina walking routes

Practical Information

Suggested duration: Half a day to several days

Entry: Free

•Vila Nova de Milfontes at the mouth of the Mira (~70 km)
•Beaches with few or no facilities
•Rota Vicentina for multi-day walks