Description Palmela

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This village located in one of the foothills of the Serra da Arrábida, has attracted over the centuries the various peoples that passed through the Iberian Peninsula.

According to what is believed, it owes its name to the Romans, more specifically to a praetor with the surname Palma, and to the Arabs it owes the construction of the castle at its highest point, from where the entire region extending between the Sado and Tagus rivers is dominated, you can also see the Serra de Sintra.

This aspect is understood to be of importance at that time, for reasons of military strategy, as well as today, when it is one of the best viewpoints in the entire region.

Palmela was regained from the Moors by the 1st King of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques (12th century) with the help of the Knights of the Order of Santiago de Espada, who rewarded him by donating these lands to him for settlement and defense. In the century. XV A Convent was founded inside the Castle, which served as the Headquarters for this Religious and Military Order, and which currently houses a Pousada.

Palmela is also an important wine region, where table wines of excellent quality are produced, as well as a generous wine known as Moscatel de Setúbal. It is this activity that gives rise to the most important festivities in the village, the Harvest Festivals that take place at the beginning of September, and include in their program parades, shows and bullfights.