IL DOLCE FAR NIENTE
SÃO LOURENÇO DO BARROCAL
ALENTEJO, PORTUGAL
The popularity of Portugal as a travel destination shows no signs of slowing, with international arrivals surpassing a record-breaking 12 million in 2017, and expected to grow more by the end of this year. Sunseekers are lured by the endless stretches of beautiful beaches, while creative types are drawn to the historical architecture and buzzing design scene. Everybody, however, comes with an appetite to discover the country’s divine food and wine.
Beyond the port wine trails in the Douro Valley and the stylish restaurants housed in azulejo-clad buildings in Porto, there’s Alentejo—a vast countryside region that’s a veritable culinary destination. Tell locals you’re heading there and they’ll congratulate you for uncovering the “real Portugal,” and then go on to share their list of must-eats.
About a two-hour drive from Lisbon, Alentejo often draws comparisons to Provence and Tuscany, but the landscape and the feeling is completely
