Crato - Alpalhão

We leave Crato by road towards Flor da Rosa, but the history of the “Santo Condestável” (Constable Saint) curses us... Turning to a trail within walls, the Path opens in the wide main square of the village, passing the Main Church (with a replica of its sword on the frontispiece) and facing the imposing Mosteiro of Santa Maria de Flor da Rosa monastery, which is now converted into an excellent Pousada hotel. It is worth taking some time to discover the most important fortress-church in Portugal and enjoy a coffee on the comfortable terrace of the hotel's garden, in case you haven't spent the night there. We continue the Path accompanied by an extensive bucolic and rural landscape, crossed at some point by a seasonal stream that is overpassed through a rustic pedestrian bridge of very old construction. From there to Vale do Peso the walk is quiet, where the fields alternate with woods of pine and eucalyptus. In this village, take the opportunity to rest, visit Casa do Peso and stock up, as you won't have another opportunity until Alpalhão. After Fonte da Bica, the Path becomes more solitary, crossing the national road and the railway line as the only distinct references from the surrounding forests, until you find the Ribeira de Sôr stream, which marks the entrance to Nisa municipality. Not far from Alpalhão, we cool off at Fonte da Feteira, a fountain adorned with the scallop identifying the Path, which is confirmed just ahead with the first red sign indicating the GR 40 “Caminho português Interior de Santiago – Etapa de Nisa” ("Portuguese Inner Path of Santiago - Nisa Stage"). We enter Alpalhão through Rua da Carreira (Carreira meaning path, from Santiago in this case), ending at Largo de Santiago. Here we find the Igreja do Espírito Santo church, also called da Misericórdia, whose interior has an image of the Apostle, which everything indicates to be that of "Santiago Peregrino do Manto" (St James Pilgrim of the Cloak).

From here we continue to the Igreja Matriz (Main Church) and at the end of our stage, through streets of typical Alentejo whitewashed houses , cheered by colorful bands that frame the windows and doors, in a rural or manorial style.