Roman Miróbriga and the castle of Santiago do Cacém

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Excavations at Castelo Velho, site of the Roman ruins of Miróbriga, show that the area around Santiago do Cacém has been inhabited since prehistoric times. A pre-Celtic and then Celtic settlement, it was Romanised from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD; scholars disagree on whether its name was Salatia Imperatoria or Mirobriga Celtici. It had a forum with its temple, large baths and, 1 km away, a hippodrome which, according to the council, is the only Roman hippodrome known in Portugal. Around 712, after Miróbriga's decline, the Moors reached the area and built the castle on the hill opposite; the name Cacém is thought to be linked to a Moorish governor called Kassem. In 1217 the town passed for good into Christian hands, and Afonso II confirmed his father's grant to the Order of Santiago. Between 1315 and 1336, by gift of King Dinis, the town and castle belonged to Princess Vetácia, lady-in-waiting and friend of Queen Saint Isabel. Santiago do Cacém became a municipal seat in 1512, when Manuel I granted it a charter. In the 19th century, the age of the great entailed estates, the town was a small court where the local lords lived in luxury, and the grand houses of noble families dominated it. From the Passeio das Romeirinhas, the walk around the castle, the view takes in the surrounding landscape, and the parish church, rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, keeps elements of the earlier Gothic church built by the Order of Santiago.

The craft beer scene in Santiago do Cacém is still waiting to be discovered, with no craft breweries or craft beer bars listed here yet. For now, look at nearby places in the wider Alentejo coast, and check back as the map grows.