Combine your travels with eating and drinking, and take an occasional break at one of the region's many excellent restaurants and taverns.

In Serpa, Évora and Niza be sure to sample the protected origin local cheeses, all with their own particular characteristics, but all irresistible to the nose and palate. At the end of your trip, pass by one of the cheese-makers in each area and take some cheeses home as presents.

While you are in the Alentejo, discover also a new olive oil route from the north to the south of the region. Include in your itinerary a visit to Moura to see the olive press at the olive oil museum at Lagar de Varas do Fojo, and learn from this important remnant of traditional technology how the oil used to be made.

For the greedy, the Alentejo confectionery based on recipes from the convents leads the purest of beings to sin. Indulge in the "morgados" of Évora, the "trouxas de ovo" of Beja or the "sericaia" of Elvas and Vila Viçosa, based on eggs and almonds, and sometimes sweetened with honey.

Don't forget to include the typical aromas and tastes of the Alentejo in your return basket: pick a handful of oregano and take home a bunch of rosemary to give a real Alentejo touch to your meals.