5 jours programme culturel et vacances en dressage à Alenquer, Lisbonne, Portugal

Óbidos

Óbidos has had strategic importance in the territory. it had already been settled prior to the Romans' arrival in the Iberian Peninsula and the town prospered after being chosen by the royal family. King Dinis offered it to his wife, Queen Isabel, in the 13th century and it became part of Casa das Rainhas (Queens' Estate), who improved and enriched it throughout the various dynasties. This is one of the main reasons for the high concentration of churches in this small place.

You will find a well-preserved castle within the walls and a maze of streets and white houses that are a delight to stroll amongst. Along with the Manueline porticoes, the colorful window boxes, and the small squares, many fine examples of religious and civil architecture from the town's golden days provide a host of reasons for making a visit.

Winery with wine tasting

Casa Santos Lima was created to ensure the continuous development of Santos Lima’s wine-producing activity first established several generations ago. This activity was first started by Joaquim Santos Lima, who, by the turn of the 19th century, was already a great producer and exporter of Portuguese wines. José Luís Santos Lima Oliveira da Silva, the great-grandson of the founder, relaunched Casa Santos Lima in 1990, replanting most of the vines, improving agricultural techniques, and modernizing all its productive structure.

Within its activity of producing and bottling quality wines, the company soon developed a Multi-Brand Strategy, focusing on products with an excellent price-to-quality ratio.

Since 1996, Casa Santos Lima started bottling its own brands – Quinta da Espiga, Quinta das Setencostas, Palha–Canas and some varietal wines – which immediately achieved great success both in national and international markets. Nowadays, around 90% of its production is exported to almost 50 countries in the 5 continents. This great export vocation relies mainly in the excellent price – quality ratio which is part of the company's corporate vision and attitude. This has been consistently confirmed by numerous awards granted and frequent press references by the specialized press with several “Best Buy”.

In recent years, the company has developed an expansion plan to other regions such as the Douro, Vinhos Verdes, Alentejo, and the Algarve with acquisitions of new properties and societies or partnerships with local producers. Casa Santos Lima now has an even wider, richer, and diversified wine portfolio ready to meet the market’s demand.

Mafra Palace and traditional tack shop

Built in the 18th century by order of King João V (1689-1750) in fulfillment of a vow he made to be blessed with an heir from his marriage to Maria Ana of Austria or be cured of a serious illness, the Royal Convent and Palace of Mafra is the most important baroque monument in Portugal.

All in limestone and marble from this region (Pêro Pinheiro and Sintra), the building covers an area of almost four hectares (37.790 meters squared), including 1,200 rooms, more than 4,700 doors and windows, 156 stairways, and 29 inner yards and courtyards. Such magnificence was only possible due to the Brazilian gold that poured into the country, allowing the king to carry out his patronage of the arts and the strengthening of royal authority.

At the end of the day, after the visit to Mafra, you will visit a traditional Tack Shop to see and buy some traditional bridles or to see the culture of the horses in Portugal.