MÉGALITHES

Dolmens, cromlechs, isolated or grouped menhirs... No fewer than 150 megaliths litter the region around Reguengos de Monsaraz. This rich ensemble of monuments reflects the sedentarization of man on the vast, fertile plains of the Alentejo 6,000 years ago..

Menhir de Bulhôa (1 km east of Monte Saraz, near the road linking the villages of Telheiro and Outero). This megalith has a strange history: it was only identified in 1970 as lying flat, its upper part separated from its base, later found... in a nearby grape press! The menhir has now been reconstructed, but on this now almost perfect point, traces of the fracture remain... The Bulhôa (or Abelhoa) menhir is thought to date from between 4,000 and 2,500 BC. The (once again) raised stone is almost 4 m high and features mysterious engravings on both sides.

Cromlech do Xarêz (On the Telheiro road, 2 km south. Keep your eyes peeled for inconspicuous signs. The site is 200 m east of the parking lot). This large 4-metre-high menhir weighs 7 tonnes. It is surrounded by a square of 50 smaller menhirs that form the sacred enclosure. The ensemble was reconstructed in the early ^20th century, then moved when the nearby Alqueva dam was built, drowning much of the region.

Menhir do Outeiro (north of the road between Barrada and Outeiro, about 1 km north of Monte Saraz). This totally smooth menhir is said to be phallic (if the others aren't...), as the 30 cm-diameter hollow on top could represent a urethra. It is considered one of the most remarkable in the Iberian Peninsula and Europe. Discovered overturned on the ground in 1969, it is a solitary granite block in the middle of fields. It is 5.60 metres high, 1 metre in diameter and weighs 8 tonnes.

Rocha dos namorados (just before arriving in the town of São Pedro de Corval, coming from Monsaraz, opposite the soccer pitch and about 6 kilometers from Monte Saraz). This monolith is a pure creation of nature! It's not a menhir, but an enormous mushroom-shaped stone, a symbol of fertility. Christians used to stop their processions here in times of great drought. On Easter Monday, unmarried girls still gather around this "lovers' rock" and throw a stone onto its summit. If it stays in balance, they'll get married within the year; if not, they'll have to wait..