"The "rich" Vila Viçosa" a Vila Viçosa Travel Page by portgrl

With a total area of about 16.000 square meters,this square is situated at the entrance of this noble and aristocratic town, when entering from Borba, Estremoz and the border town of Elvas.
You can`t miss the Ducal Palace that was the former residence of the Dukes of Bragança from the beginning of the 16th century and was commenced in 1501-1502 and completed in the 18th century.
Within the 50 rooms open to the public are housed precious private art collections and extremely rare books which originally belonged to King Manuel II, Portugal's last reigning monarch. The art collection includes paintings by the best Portuguese artists of last century, Flemish and French tapestries, frescoes on walls and ceilings, furniture, porcelain from the Far East, Portugal, Italy and other countries.