Found in the district of Setubal is the municipality of Sines. The Municipality is spread over a total of over two hundred square kilometres of seafront land. It is located on the center of the Alentejo coast and is within the St Vincent and Southwest Alentejo Coast Natural Park. The town is a Mediterranean climate greatly influenced by the ebb and flow of the ocean. The highest temperature at the hottest month is nearly 21 degrees centigrade and at its coldest, it reaches 11 degrees centigrade. Its topographical features is a coastal plain with the Cape of Sines and the Cercal Mountains making it perfect as a getaway under the sun.

Sines has long been an established settlement throughout history. The area was called home at some time by Celts and the Carthaginians. During the Roman era, the town was called Sinus or bay in Latin. The town of Sines together with Pessegueiro Island had become the center of fish salting and shipping in the region. Originally, it was a small fishing hamlet until Dom Pedro I granted the charter to become a town in 1362 mainly due to its strategic location on the coast. At this time, in return for the grant of autonomy, the town authorities built the Castle. This castle is the single biggest monument in the history of Sines.

Another important historical figure that hails from Sines is the famed explorer Vasco Da Gama, the national hero of Portugal. The future discoverer was born in the town of Sines in 1469 and upon his return from India, Da Gama was given feudal rights over all of Sines. Two other important historic sons of Sines are the painter Emmerico Nunes, the painter and Al Berto, the poet.

The center of the town is the Parish Church dedicated to St Salvador, the Patron saint. There are also dedicated statues of religious significance to Our Lady of Salas for Sines and the Our Lady of Soledade for Porto Covo. Aside from these religious structures, there are many important historic edifices about the town. The Sines Castle is at the top of the list, followed by the Church of Our Lady of Salas and the Mother Church. For culture and arts, the focal building is the Sines Art Center.

The biggest attractions in Sines are its beaches that are white sandy shores with pristine waters. The biggest one is Porto Covo, a picturesque village with the most well preserved beaches as it forms part of the Sudoeste Alentejano and Costa Vincentina Natural Parks. The northern parts of the beaches are the Pessegueiro Island, the Sancha Lagoon, Ribeira dos Moinhos, Morgavel and Junqueira beaches. The main beaches have round the clock services with excellent facilities. The most popular tourist beaches include the Morgavel, the Vale Figueiros, the Grande of Porto Covo, the Ilha de Pessagueiro and the Torpes. The Praia Grande is one of the widest and most easily accessible. All throughout the area, there are many small coves and beaches with fine white sand and clear blue waters. The beaches are often separated by large rocks that create a wall for some exclusivity and intimacy. These areas are named as Vierinha, Oliverinha, Foz, Samouquiera, Burrinho, Espingardeiro, Pequena and Buzios are but some of the small but picturesque inlets you can relax in peace and in quiet. One of the most exclusive beaches, the Praia do Salto is a naturist beach and one of the few ones allowed in Portugal.

The beaches of Sines do not only provide entertainment value, but there are other reasons for the beauty and value of these seashores. One of these is the Praia Vasco da Gama as it is one of the most hallowed historic beaches of Sines. The beach has an adjoining Fishing Harbour, this strip of sand has become part of the very fabric of the municipality, as it has become witness to the marauding attacks of pirates to historic send-offs of galleons during the Age of Discovery. Another beach of historic and this time religious significance is the Praia de Sao Torpes. Legend has been told that the lifeless body of the martyr was found resting on the sands of the beach during the first century of the Christian era. The Praia Ilha do Pessegueiro was used as a refugee harbour by the Carthaginians as well as the Romans before going up the coast of Alentejo.

After a day at the beach, one will certainly be famished. Another way to enjoy the great offerings of Sines is in the cuisine of the area. Most if not all of the dishes in the Sines region have seafood as the main ingredient or mix seafood. The fresh bounty of the sea is often part of the culinary delights of inland Alentejo, such as Migas or fried breadcrumb with fried fish, beans with whelks, limpet rice, whelk and roe salad and so much more.

Further inland the Rua Candido dos Reis and the Rua Teofilo Braga are the shopping streets of the town. Another important historical edifice is the Largo dos Penedos, a watchtower built as an early warning system against invaders and/or marauders. It is also the highest vantage point in the town. On Rua Vasco da Gama, the home where the national hero of Portugal was born is located, making the town seeped in both history and culture. The town’s church is home to many religious artefacts that has gained both great spiritual and historic importance in Sines.

As the modern world comes into Sines, many projects in the region have been geared towards creating an economic support system to expand developmental aims in the region. The primary project is the large marina along a long breakwater together with a deep-sea port and industrial platform. There are also many construction projects in the energy industry and commercial shipping.

Sines has experienced a long and historic love affair with the sea. From its establishment to its economy, the sea is part and parcel in its every day life. It is home to the national hero of Portugal as well as many other lovers of the sea. In Sines, life is truly a beach.

Alentejo is located in the south central region in Portugal. The original name is Alem-Tejo that is translated into either “beyond the Tagus” or “across the Tagus”. This large region is separated from mainland Portugal by the Tagus River extending far into the southern region towards the Algarve. The region is further divided into sub-regions namely the Alto Alentejo or High Region, The Baixo Alentejo or Lower Region, the Alentejo Central, the Alentejo Litoral and Leziria do Tejo. There are two mountain ranges in the region that are its highest peaks, namely Sao Mamede and Osa. Also located in the region is the Guadiana, the largest river in all of Portugal that acts as a natural border between the two countries on the Iberian Peninsula.

The regional capital is Evora and there are other cities in the region, namely Santarem, Portalegre, Beja and Sines. As of 2001, there were 776, 585 inhabitants spread over an area of 31,152 square kilometers. The Alentejo has been known to have one third of all the land area of Portugal but only one twentieth of the population making for wide expanses of lands with few people between them, or roughly twenty four people per square kilometer. The capital of “Baixa Alentejo” is Beja while the capital of the Alto Alentejo is Evora. The cities are rich in historic areas and ruins with many battle scars from foreign invaders such as Romans, Moors and Vandals, or even just conflicts by and between the royal families of Portugal.

Alentejo is best known as the slowest and most laid back of all the regions in Portugal. Most tours portray Alentejo as the place “where even time takes time”. Many townspeople urge visitors walking too fast in the area are urged by locals to “calma, calma” or slow down. The land has been best known for its vineyards, with ten percent devoted for winemaking. The other ninety percent is for cereal grains and olives. The people of Alentejo or Alentejanos have been the object of ridicule for their seeming slow motion in things that they do. In reality, the slow country is the best retreat you can have as a visitor to the region from the rat race of the modern world.

The Tejo River has shaped much of the history and development in the Alentejo region. The river provided a natural border between the Moor controlled Algarve and the Christian governed northern country. The region was developed as the bread basket of Portugal in the 2^nd century by the Roman Empire but fell to the Moors as it invaded Portugal. King Alfonso Henriques wrested the region from Moorish control in 1147. Much of its old monuments and buildings during the cataclysmic earthquake in 1755 though some of them remain as either ruins or restorations of the old architecture. . The cities also have many historic landmarks that have been well preserved as a World Heritage site. The oldest historic edifice in the region is the Temple of Diana built back in the 2^nd or 3^rd century BC. Standing nearby is the Monasterio dos Loios with the Saint John the Baptist Church, which is now a hotel called the Pousada.

The recent history of Alentejo showed the resilience of its people. Over the centuries, the region’s extreme climate has provided much difficulty for the winemakers of the region, but through the townspeople’s ingenuity and modernized facilities, the lack of rainfall and the extreme temperatures have been managed properly for the booming winemaking business. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, much hardship was felt throughout the Alentejo as a few families controlled the economy of the region. The regular folk then farmed the steep sided hills of Quinta Azenha do Romalho into terraces. They also irrigated the Ribiera de Arronches that flowed through the Vale Lourenco to the surrounding areas.

This economic and political imbalance also created changes in the culture as well as the cuisine of the region. The Alentejanos had to make use what was available making for a rich culinary tradition for the region. The staple of the region is pig as pork is the most favored meat in the country. No part of the pig is wasted from snout to tail. Each part, even the feet have particular ways of preparation for a dish of delight.

The region is known as the bread basket of Portugal not only because of the wide expanse of lands but also because of the agricultural produce in the region. The farm products include grains, sunflowers, fruits, vegetables, olives, wine, cork, eucalyptus and livestock. The rich and arable land together with the vast tracts of open spaces providing the necessary inputs to supply much of Portugal’s needs for over hundreds of years.

The Alentejo’s southern border lies the Serra de Caldeira and the mountains of Monchique. This area is home to the world’s largest cork growing area in the world. Cork Oak, locally known as sobreiro has been the primary agricultural product for over three centuries. The traditional method of harvesting cork, by the use of hand axes held by teams of men, is the only way to efficiently and effectively take the cork from the tree. A mature tree can provide cork for about four thousand bottles of wine, and the industry employs roughly 60,000 workers.

Another sign of the wide and varied topography of the Alentejo region is the Portalegre. In this area, the weather is much cooler with greater precipitation because of the higher elevation. It is in this area that the higher quality wines from the region. In this area both white wine grape varieties such as the arinto galego, assario, roupeirom fernao pires and mantuedo and the red wine grape varieties include aragonez, grand noir, periuita and the trincadeiro.

The Alentejo way of life is very different from much of Portugal. Here serenity and slowness is much valued as much is provided for the visitors and inhabitants from the rich earth. Steeped in tradition and rich in culture, the Alentejano’s uniqueness and delights provide not only food for the palate but also food for the soul. So partake of the richness of Alentejo the next time you visit Portugal.