Route 2 - Through the lands of Arábida

The sides of the road are covered with the vineyards and pasture lands of the Quinta de Camarate. The Quinta is also dedicated to sheep husbandry and the production of the Queijo de Azeitão (cheese). On arriving at Vila Fresca de Azeitão we suggest a visit to S. Simão Arte, to paint a tile or get known the handcrafts of the region. Also visits the Church of São Simão.

Retake the route until the E.N. 10, in the direction of Setúbal. After Aldeia Grande, turn left and follow the road of the Vale de Alcube. After passing a small bridge, next to a watermill in ruins, you will find the access gate to the Quinta de Alcube (1).

A small family type of unit, inserted in an enchanting Quinta with its stately manor, a stream meandering through flourishing green woods, an orchard where the once famous Setúbal oranges are still produced and cattle husbandry. Apart from the wines, the Quinta produces honey and cheese and has a recent accommodation rural hotel. Take a break mid-morning and taste the wine and cheese produced on this local.

Retake the E.N. 10 until reaching the Quinta da Bacalhôa – one of the best examples of Portuguese renaissance architecture and an important repository of primitive tile-work in our country, classified as a National Monument. Part of the Quinta is covered with vineyards.

Then visit a factory of tiles, the azulejos Azeitão, which maintains the manual production, using the technique of faience and technical edge and you can paint a tile.

Continue in the direction of Vila Nogueira de Azeitão. Along the route, a plaque marks the presence of an important group of Thousand-Year-Old Olive Trees, classified as Natural Heritage.

Follow in the direction of the vineyards of the Quinta da Bassaqueira, where the Bacalhôa Vinhos de Portugal (2) wine cellar is installed, a space where the symbiosis of wines, art and nature, reaches its highest. The wine cellar, with its modern lines, is surrounded by stunning gardens with thousand-year-old olive trees, contemporary statues and a Japonese graden. In the back, the vineyards and a lake with exotic fish and ducks. In the interior, the Moscatel wine ages in 1800 barrels, framed by an extraordinary collection of XVth to XIXth century tiles.

Visit Vila Nogueira de Azeitão – the exterior of Palace of the Duques de Aveiro, the Pelourinho (pillory), the Church of São Lourenço and the Fonte dos Pasmados (Fountain).

Enjoy the cult of the art and of ancient traditions in the José Maria da Fonseca (3) wine cellar. The beautiful façade of the house and its interior are a journey through the history of this company, evoked by the old machines, prizes and various artefacts. A pleasant garden provides access to wine cellars where the aging process of the wines takes place. In the “Periquita” wine cellar, we find enormous tuns, and in the old cellar, the Moscatel de Setúbal wine aging in hundreds of barrels.

Vila Nogueira de Azeitão is the ideal place to taste the gastronomic specialities, as Torta or Esse de Azeitão.

Closed to Vila Nogueira de Azeitão, you can also visit Quinta de Catralvos (4), a space fully integrated into a wine landscape that offers guided tours of the winery with wine tasting and tasting of regional products.

Continue and go on the discovery of Serra da Arrábida. After the village of the Aldeia de Irmãos, at the crossroads, you can go  directly to the Natural Park of Arrábida or go to visit the Cabo Espichel.