"The tourist who travels the roads between Alcobaça, Batalha and Tomar heading north towards Coimbra, the first capital of Portugal, will come across a whole set of symbols and ideals where stories of kings and queens intertwine"

If Alcobaça and Tomar mark the moment of appropriation and defense of the national territory, by the Cistercian Order and the Order of the Temple, respectively, the Battle marks the affirmation of a new dynasty, that of Avis, which made possible not only the independence of the kingdom, but also its expansion, through an expansionist project and maritime discovery that would initiate a whole new process of globalization.

At the same time, the University, founded in the 1537th century and permanently established in Coimbra since XNUMX, was training specialized technicians for the Kingdom and the Empire, and was a major reference in Portugal for the dissemination of culture and knowledge.

Tourists who travel along the roads between Alcobaça, Batalha and Tomar, heading north towards Coimbra, the first capital of Portugal, will come across a whole set of symbols and ideals where stories of kings and queens, loves and heartbreaks, chimeras and disappointments, beliefs, miracles and legends intertwine, where distant echoes of the Quest for the Holy Grail and the Treasure of the Templars can still be heard today.