Come and discover the Alentejo in an original way. Terras Sem Sombra doesn’t happen on just one date or just one location.
This festival takes place in different municipalities of Alentejo and has a strong emphasis on cultural decentralisation and sustainability in the Alentejo region. Rated as one of the top five festivals of its kind in Europe, it is based on three components: music, heritage and biodiversity.
In addition to revealing the talent of composers, performers and artists of international renown, Terras sem Sombra Festival is one of the most important events of sacred music in Portugal. It invites you to get to know some of the churches that are part of the monumental heritage of Alentejo as you visit the traditions and historical roots of the region.
In addition to concerts, the festival is distinctive in that it promotes thematic conferences, guided tours and actions related to the pedagogy of art and culture. These are held in the most beautiful and important religious monuments in the municipalities of Arraiolos, Beja, Castelo de Vide, Ferreira do Alentejo, Montemor-o-Novo, Mourão, Odemira, Santiago do Cacém, Sines and Vidigueira.
It also organises parallel activities, in particular involving nature conservation and the preservation of biodiversity, again displaying the Alentejo as a region that stands out for environmental and cultural values, as well as landscapes, while it boasts one of the best preservation indexes in Europe.
Brussels has announced the award of the EFFE label, Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe, to Terras Sem Sombra for 2017-2018.
Boglárka Farkas | Claudia Boeckel | Jan Pech | Johannes Fleischmman | Lea Hausmann | Mengjie Han dI & Marta Guliáz | Olivier de Spiegeleir | Raul Sunico | Rinaldo Alessandrini | Sabina Hasanova | Samuel Shepher | Vilmos Szabadi... and many more
As the festival takes place over several months and in distinct places in the Alentejo, it can be the motto to visit a region that has so much to offer.
In this festival, listening to music in monuments and churches outside the usual opening hours, which is already a unique experience and opportunity, is combined with guided tours and small itineraries that show the country's cultural landscape and biodiversity.
Santiago do Cacém, Sines and Odemira are closer to the coast, while Alter do Chão, Beja, Castelo de Vide, Ferreira do Alentejo, Mértola, Montemor-o-Novo, Mourão and Vidigueira lead us to visit the interior of the country and to contact with a more rural environment where traditional arts and crafts are still preserved and practiced.
Suggestions:
Arraiolos - discover the tradition of Arroiolos Rugs by visiting its Interpretative Centre
Beja - discover the mysteries and treasures of the Guadiana River when making a pedestrian route of the county that passes through the waterfalls and fortresses built on the banks.
Castelo de Vide - walk through the Judiaria streets (medieval Jewish neighbourhood), one of the best preserved in Portugal
Ferreira do Alentejo - from Santa Margarida do Rio Sado, discover a less explored side of the river that recalls its use over time (mining, dam construction, intensive agriculture, sand extraction).
Montemor-o-Novo - visit the castle and its Interpretative Center, located in the former church of São Tiago
Mourão - the Aldeia da Luz Museum keeps alive the memory of the village submerged with the construction of the Alqueva dam
Odemira - follow the Mira River, which gives its name to Odemira, and takes a 150 km route to the mouth of Vila Nova de Milfontes, one of the busiest beaches on the coast.
Santiago do Cacém - explore the cultural landscape around the old Franciscan convent of Our Lady of Loreto, founded in the middle of the 15th century, paying particular attention to the existing cork oak forest.
Sines - near the Thermoelectric Power Plant of Sines, discover the dune system of the Junqueira river that flows into the Beach of São Torpes and the surroundings of the Ermida de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios.
Vidigueira - the town is less than 10 minutes by car from the ruins of the roman village of São Cucufate
√ Taste the traditional dishes in each location
√ Discover the differences between the gastronomy of the coast and the interior
√ Go through the coastal beaches
√ Visit an old hermitage near the São Torpes beach, in Sines
√ Take a boat trip along the Odemira River to Vila Nova de Milfontes
√ Discover the waterfalls and fortresses that were built along the Guadiana River from Beja
