Palmela is a beautiful town situated in the Setúbal Peninsula, on the wide Lisboa region, in a place blessed by nature, in the slope of the gorgeous Arrábida Mountain, from where astonishing panoramas are available.
This is a region occupied by Men since remote periods. The human being has always found here natural shelters, easy accesses and fertile soils. Here inhabited Celts, Phoenicians, Romans and Moors, and in 1147 was re-conquered by the troops of the first Portuguese king, D. Afonso Henriques. In 1185 the territory is donated to the Order of the Knights of Santiago. The battles and conflicts in this territory nevertheless last for some time, and it was definitely conquered by the Christians in the beginning of the 13th century.
In 1443 the Military Order of St. James of the Sword is installed in the Castle, influencing all the region.
Palmela possesses a very rich history and heritage, with monuments such as the amazing Castle and the museum nucleus overlooking the town from where one has a superb panorama, but also others like the Misericórdia (18th century) and the São Pedro Churches, the São João Baptista Chapel (17th century), the picturesque Sociedade Filarmónica Humanitária Bandstand built in 1924, the lovely building of the Town Hall from the 17th century, the Pillory classified as a national monument, the big Espírito Santo Hospital from the 18th century, or the D. Maria I Fountain dated from the 18th century considered to be during many years Palmela’s entrance door and the symbol.
It is also worth visiting the Joaquim José Carvalho Park, the Moovie Theatre São João or event the Museum Nucleus of the Wine and the Vineyard, installed in the ancient Algeruz Estate, dedicated to the heritage and memories of the important winegrowing of Palmela’s region.
In fact, this is an important winegrowing region, where recognize table wines of excellent quality are produced, like the famous Muscatel of Setúbal. All this wine heritage is celebrated with proud during the Vintage Fair, every year in September, celebrating the wine production.
