There are places you visit and places you feel. Mértola is one of the latter.

Overlooking the Guadiana, the entire town is a living museum, where Romans, Muslims, and Christians have left their mark over more than two thousand years. Wander through the narrow white-washed streets up to the castle, let yourself get lost between the main church, once a mosque, and the fourteen centers that hold the memory of each era.

More than forty years of excavations continue to reveal treasures beneath your feet. Here, the past is not behind glass: it breathes at every corner.

A few minutes from the house, the river does something extraordinary. After meandering calmly through the plain, the Guadiana suddenly narrows and plunges sixteen meters through a gorge of rock carved over millennia. It is the Pulo do Lobo, the wild heart of the Guadiana Valley Natural Park.

The roar of the water, the shimmer of the foam in the sun, the arid and imposing landscape around - everything here reminds us that nature has a power that exceeds us. Take comfortable footwear, water, and time to stay. This is one of those places that you keep forever in your memory.

When the sun sets over the Alentejo, another spectacle begins. Far from the city lights, the sky of Mértola reveals itself in all its immensity: the Milky Way stretches from horizon to horizon, the constellations become sharp, and the stars seem within reach of your hand.

This is one of the first regions in the world certified as a stargazing tourism destination, with an average of 286 clear nights per year. You only need to step outside, let your eyes adjust to the darkness, and look up. Few experiences are as simple - and as unforgettable.

For those who know how to look and listen, the Guadiana Valley is one of the richest territories in Europe. In the golden fields, by the streams, and in the cork oak forests that surround the house, some of the rarest and most majestic birds of the continent cross paths: the Spanish imperial eagle, the cinereous vulture, the black stork, the little bustard, and the great bustard.

At dawn, when the light is golden and the silence is total, every flight becomes a small event. Bring binoculars and patience the reward is feeling part of a truly living territory.

There are over a hundred kilometers of marked trails waiting for you, winding through olive groves, holm oak forests, and riverbanks. Walking through Mértola is about slowing down, taking a deep breath, and rediscovering the pleasure of simple things: the scent of rockrose, the singing of cicadas in summer, the cool shade of a holm oak.

Choose a route that suits you, at dawn or late in the afternoon, when the light paints the plains in gold. And, if you prefer the magic of the night, venture out on a moonlight hike, under the most starry sky you have ever seen.

A short distance from the house, the old São Domingos Mine holds one of the most striking stories of the Alentejo. Where ore was once extracted, an almost lunar landscape remains, in shades of red and ochre, which fascinates every visitor.

Stroll through the mining village, discover the memory of those who lived and worked here, and end the day at the Tapada Grande river beach a calm mirror of water, perfect for a refreshing dip on hot days.

History and leisure, side by side, in the same place.