Pousada Convento Vila Viçosa

Occupied during the Roman invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, the Vila Viçosa Castle is located near Vila Viçosa in the district of Evora, one of the places to visit in the Alentejo region.

The marble is one of the rocks with more importance in the Portuguese territory. You can meet all of its production in this museum, located in the quarry wire rack, near the town of Borba.

The Fundação da Casa de Bragança [House of Bragança Foundation] was created in 1933, a year after the death of King Manuel II, who, in his will of 20 September 1915, had expressed the desire to bequeath the collections and other assets of the House to form a museum. The Foundation consists of the museum and library of the Casa de Bragança (in the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa), the King Carlos I Agricultural School (in Vendas Novas) and of a fund which sends its proceeds to Portuguese charities and public utility causes.

The Shades of Marble Route invites you to discover the strange, harsh and profoundly mysterious world of Alentejo marble. In the territories of Alandroal, Borba, Sousel and Vila Viçosa, you can explore quarries, underground extraction galleries, factories, discover Portuguese equipment and software of international scope, and find out how this raw material is used for stonework, sculptures and the artistic dimension of the region’s monuments.