The Alentejo is a land where time slows down and tradition remains alive. With few and natural resources, it is the only area in Portugal that brings together almost all types of soil, sustained by the montado woodland and by a cultural heritage preserved across generations. It covers 34.2% of the national territory and holds the largest expanse of montado in the world, with more than one million hectares — a singular ecosystem and the main agrosilvopastoral system in Europe.
The skeletal soils found here, composed of schists, granites, gabbros and quartzites, are an expression of the Iberian Massif, a geomorphological formation associated with the Variscan mountain range, formed during the Paleozoic era. Considered the oldest geomorphological unit of the Iberian Peninsula, this structure is responsible for the Vidigueira Fault, which is still active today and characterised by vertical horst-type tectonic movements that uplifted schist formations to different altitudes and shaped a singular landscape.
It is within this geological context that the Herdade Aldeia de Cima, located in the Serra do Mendro, reaches an altitude of 424 metres above sea level, revealing exceptional biodiversity.
Despite the widespread perception of Alentejo as a flat region of endless horizons and wheat fields—now largely replaced by vast expanses of intensive olive groves—the reality is quite different for those who know the territory. In Lower Alentejo, mountain ranges are far from scarce. From north to south, several key elevations structure the landscape:
Serra de Grândola – 383 m
Serra de Portel – 418 m
Serra do Mendro – 424 m
Serra da Adiça – 522 m
Serra do Cercal – 378 m
In the south-west of the Iberian Peninsula, Alentejo represents the most eroded and lowered remnant of an ancient mountain chain, referred to by some authors as Hercynian and by others as Variscan, whose formation began around 380 million years ago, when these mountains first emerged from the ocean.
O montado alentejano é um ecossistema singular e um dos 36 hotspots mundiais de biodiversidade do planeta, identificado pela Conservation International como área ameaçada.
Formado pela paisagem natural mais complexa do Mediterrâneo Ocidental, o montado é o principal sistema agrossilvopastoril da Europa. Uma floresta única com mais de 200 espécies de animais, 135 espécies de plantas e 140 ervas aromáticas e habitats heterogéneos transformados pelo homem num mosaico de usos.
Com cerca de um milhão de hectares no Alentejo, este território representa atualmente 28% da área global de montado e tem um papel crucial na retenção de CO2 — cerca de 6 toneladas por hectare por ano.
Here, natural habitats are preserved, with scrublands of rockrose, broom, gorse, heather, kermes oak and brambles, interspersed with spontaneous grasses, creating ideal conditions for resident species such as the Iberian partridge, hare, pheasant, little bustard, fox, Egyptian mongoose, wild boar and the Alentejo black pig. In these unpolluted lands, it is common to observe storks, sparrows and goldfinches, as well as impressive birds of prey such as the black vulture and the red kite.