Queen of the frontier

The fort of Santa Luzia is another ex-libris of this town of Alentejo. What immediately jumps in sight is the bold architectural design with its quadrangular defensive bastions with its pentagonal star-shaped corners. The beauty of this military fortification only gets its dimension from the sky, but even on the ground it is still impressive with its reinforced walls. Indeed, it was here that took place one of the most important disputes in the restoration of Portuguese independence, the battle line of Elvas. This city has always been the scene of heavy sieges along its more than ten centuries of existence and successively resisted the attacks thanks to its ancient stones and human ingenuity. The marks of the various civilizations that passed through here are however still deeply rooted in the culture of the Alentejo. The influence of the Arabs is perhaps the most flagrant and persistent in time, is still visible in the urban architecture, repair the chimneys of the houses in its lacy form, the tiles that burst with unusual colors and patterns that can be seen in the interiors of some buildings and the gastronomy, particularly the sweets with its almond palate. Interestingly it was the Romans who gave the name to this city, Helvas. They were the first settlers of this frontier territory and there are still traces of their passage that can be visited. Last but not least, this metropolis is worth a visit for the great hospitality that characterizes the citizens of this city, which unlike the past; do not receive visitors with arrows, or guns, but with large smiles of welcome.