The capital of the Alentejo region, Évora, is a city with more than twenty centuries of history. But its profile is much lower than that of other points of interest in Portugal, so a day after we had to dodge the insane crowds in Sintra (in late April), we encountered a much more manageable amount of fellow visitors in Évora. The town was far from deserted but instead just lively enough for our liking.

Évora retains various monuments from different eras. The oldest is the Roman temple of Diana, free-standing on an airy square at the edge of the town center. The medieval cathedral, a short walk away, first dates from the early 13th century; its suitably somber exterior hides a fairly vibrant interior. One of the prominent features here is the Baroque altar with a statue of pregnant Virgin Mary (called Nossa Senhora do O), created in the 15th century; it is highly uncommon in its positioning in the middle of the central nave of the church. You can also climb to the roof of the cathedral, both for views over town and for a number of impressive details.

The town roof line, I have to admit, is actually kind of bland. Three colors predominate in Évora’s palette: white, yellow, and red. The core of the town is practically all whitewashed with yellow accents and red roofs, with many of the houses dating from between 16th and 18th centuries, Évora’s golden age, when it was a regular residence of the royals. The white façades, unfortunately, are discolored in a fair number of instances, which gives many perspectives a bit of a dirty-ish tint.

One other major point of interest in Évora is the church of São Francisco, whose several components include the Bone Chapel, mildly distressing in its impeccable design. There is a plaque in the center of the chapel that attempts to explain that the purpose of this space was not necessarily to shock but rather to prompt people to think about and accept their own mortality. Entrance to the chapel is combined with a collection of nativity scene sets; the gallery is like a toy museum that is bound to impress kids if you have them in tow. The interior of São Francisco proper (which can be entered for free) is among the most impressive that we’ve seen in Portugal, which is a high praise given that lavish church interiors are close to the norm in this largely Catholic country.

Évora is about an hour and a half due east from Lisbon by car. We spent a little over half a day there, which feels like the right amount of time to get acquainted with the city.