2024 PRE-CONGRESS TOUR

13 – 15 SEPTEMBER 2024 | SOLD OUT!

The 2024 Pre-Congress Tour will explore the delights of Southern Portugal, immersing participants in Portuguese tradition and history, before bringing them to the Congress location.

> DETAILED PRE-CONGRESS TOUR ITINERARY <

12.09.2024 – Day 0 (arrival)

Arrival in Lisbon.

Accommodation for this night (12 September) is not included in the tour. Accommodation arrangements are at the responsibility of the participants.

• HF Fenix Hotels
• Sana Rex
• Hotel Marquês de Pombal
• Dom Carlos Liberty
• Dom Carlos Park
• Hotel Excelsior Lisboa
• Exe Liberdade
• Ibis Sytles Marquês de Pombal
• Miraparque
• Turim Europa
• Turim Liberdade

13.09.2024 – Day 1

Estremoz

Guided tours of the Berardo Museum and Estremoz Puppet Interpretive Centre.

The production of the clay figure of Estremoz, commonly known as “Bonecos de Estremoz” was classified on 7 December 2017 as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. This popular art form, to which several artisans in the county are dedicated, consists of  a modeling technique dating backing to the 17th century. Over a hundred different, symbolic puppets have been inventoried, inspired by the daily life of the people of Alentejo, representing figures, ideas and values of traditional and rural communities.

Redondo

A visit to the Clay Museum and the pottery workshops in the historic centre.

Confirming the richness of the soils and undulating orography, the area that today corresponds to the municipality of Redondo has been inhabited since ancient times, as evidenced by the numerous megalithic monuments existing in the region. Redondo’s local, hand-made pottery is well known throughout the country and here it is possible to find utilitarian and decorative pieces for all purposes, made of simple clay or decorated with floral motifs and popular country scenes that represent the region. With a strong ceramic activity, several pottery workshops can be found in town.

14.09.2024 – Day 2

Évora

A visit to the city of Évora (UNESCO World Heritage Site), its historic centre and the Temple of Diana Cathedral

The city, with its narrow streets of Moorish origin, contrasting with squares where the light floods in, holds two millennia of history. Conquered in 59 B.C. by the Romans, Évora gained great importance as can be witnessed from the remains of that time: the ruins of a temple dated from the end of the second century, various parts of the wall and the gateway, in addition to the remains of thermal baths below what is now the Municipal Council building. The city was later home to the court of various Portuguese kings of the first and second dynasties.

Wander its streets and absorb the secret soul that a diverse range of cultural influences has laid down in this city of the world. There are also excellent restaurants and bars, esplanades, arts and handicraft stores, and the youth attending its university all add up to a wonderful dynamic of the present with its roots very firmly in the past.

Reguengos de Monsaraz

A reception at the Town Hall followed by a visit to the Esporão Cellars.

In addition to a very rich historical heritage and an exquisite landscape, the county has a strong identity marked by traditional uses and customs, which are reflected in gastronomy, wines and crafts.

São Pedro do Corval

A visit to the Interpretive Centre of the Pottery of S. Pedro do Corval followed by a free visit to local pottery workshops.

With more than two dozen pottery shops in constant operation, combined with the unique live experience of being able to see the clay being moulded by expert hands and to hear the knowledge and experiences of local master potters shared, São Pedro do Corval is the largest pottery centre in the country and one of the largest in the Iberian Peninsula. True works of art can be found in São Pedro do Corval, made with an ancestral knowledge and a unique aesthetic of the region.

15.09.2024 – Day 3

Viana do Alentejo

Visit of the village and local ceramic workshops.

The traditional village of Viana do Alentejo recognises the transmission of generational knowledge of clay work as one of the lines of its cultural and artistic identity. From the “green clay” of the Baiões homestead to the alguidar de bordo saliente, the cultural heritage of Viana do Alentejo has the silhouette of the utilitarian shapes and the colors of modernity of the local ceramics.

With strong evidence in terms of the ceramic remains found in the vicinity of the Santuário de Nossa Senhora d’Aires and the Romeira hill, the Roman and Arab presences in Viana do Alentejo are attested by the archaeological works of names like Leite de Vasconcelos, Félix Alves and José Oliveira Caeiro.

Alcáçovas

A visit to the village and the Rattles Museum.

Alcáçovas is a traditional Alentejo village, rich in heritage and people. The town is known for the Treaty of Alcáçovas, which ended the War of Castilian Succession in 1479.

Montemor-o-Novo

A visit to the Oficinas da Cerâmica e da Terra (OCT) – Ceramics and Earth Workshop and Castle Shed on the slope of the Castle. The Oficinas do Convento, which belongs to the OCT, is an IAC institutional member.

The Montemor-o-Novo pottery tradition remains alive with the activities of the Telheiro. Located on the hillside of the castle, with the association Oficinas do Convento, it produces traditional bricks, ornamental and constructive pottery, and welcomes several national and international artists in an artist residency programme.

The Oficinas da Cerâmica e da Terra were born with the requalification and restructuration of the Telheiro in March 2015, the inauguration of the Ceramics Research Center (installed on a former public washhouse) and of a geoscience lab. These facilities made possible the development of new proposals in the area of training, research, construction and work with the community in the various fields of investigation related to ceramics.