Marvão

Marvão is a mountain village of 3,000 people (2019) in Alentejo perched on a quartzite crag of the Serra de São Mamede.

Understand




Marvão's (muhr-VUHNOOW, /maɾ.ˈvɐ̃w/) name is derived from an 8th-century Muwallad rebel, named Ibn Marwan. Ibn Marwan, who constructed the Castle of Marvão, likely on the site of an earlier Roman watchtower, as a power base when establishing an independent statelet ("emirate", duchy) covering much of modern-day Portugal during the Emirate of Cordoba (884-931 CE). The castle and walled village were further fortified through the centuries, notably under Sancho II of Portugal (13th century) and Denis of Portugal.

The village has generated significant tourist interest: it was included in the 2003 book, 1000 Places to see Before you Die. Nobel prize-winning author José Saramago (1922-2010) wrote of the village "From Marvão one can see the entire land.... It is understandable that from this place, high up in the keep at Marvão Castle, visitors may respectfully murmur, 'How great is the world.'"

Get in
The company Rede Expressos makes a daily direct connection between Lisbon and Marvão with several stops, including Portalegre and Castelo de Vide. The bus departs from Lisbon at 07:30, arriving at Marvão at 11:50. On the return trip the bus departs from Marvão at 15:50, arriving in Lisbon at 20:15.

There are also local buses between Marvão and Portalegre among other villages and towns but they are infrequent

There are no trains between Lisbon and Marvão.

See
The village is completely walled and there is a short ridge across the top from the castle to beyond the church.

Do
An annual international classical music festival, under the artistic direction of German conductor Christoph Poppen, was launched in Marvão in July 2014. The village also hosts an international film festival, Periferías, in August each year. Other annual festivals in Marvão include 'Al-Mossassa'- a celebration of the town's Moorish past, held jointly with the Spanish city of Badajoz (also founded by Ibn Marwan) - in early October, and a chestnut festival in early November.