Setúbal

It was the Romans who started one of the most traditional activities in the region - salt collecting and food preservation in salty tanks, whose remains are preserved in the Troia Peninsula to this day.

The development of Setúbal has always been linked to the maritime activities provided by its location at the mouth of the River Sado, already considered, by the XIV century, one of the main ports of the country.

Agricultural products also deserve special attention, some of them already referenced in official documents of the end of the XIV century, namely grapes, wines, oranges and fish. Even today, the wines produced in the surrounding region are famous, namely table wines and the moscatel. They can be tasted in the cellars located in the nearby town of Azeitão, where excellent cheese and delicious cakes are also produced.

In the city where Portuguese culture was born, namely Bocage (poet of the 19th century, known by the ironic tone and social criticism inserted in everything he wrote) and Luísa Todi (important lyric singer), special reference to the Convent of Jesus in a Gothic-Manueline style that houses the City Museum and the São Filipe Fort. Currently converted into a hotel, it is a great viewpoint over the city, the river Sado, Troia and the Serra da Arrábida.

Around Setúbal you can find areas of preserved nature, namely the Sado Estuary Natural Reserve, where dolphins can be observed in freedom, and the Arrábida Natural Park, with unique characteristics, with species that can only be found in nearby areas of the Mediterranean.

Also noteworthy are the excellent beaches, namely Figueirinha, Galapos and Portinho da Arrábida (a beautiful sheltered bay), and on the opposite bank of the river Sado, which is easily reached by ferry, the Troia peninsula composed of about 18 km of beaches and a golf course.

(source: www.visitportugal.com)