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São Salvador Da Aramenha

Roman City of Ammaia

São Salvador Da Aramenha

Roman City of Ammaia

Highlight • Historical Site

Roman City of Ammaia

Recommended by 7 hikers out of 8

This Highlight is in a protected area

Please check local regulations for: Parque Natural da Serra de São Mamede

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Location: São Salvador Da Aramenha, Portalegre, Portugal

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Best Hikes to Roman City of Ammaia

4.1

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1. Roman City of Ammaia – 16th century bridge of Portagem loop from São Salvador da Aramenha

9.36km

02:31

110m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.0

(1)

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2. Praia Fluvial de Portagem – Roman City of Ammaia loop from São Salvador da Aramenha

5.15km

01:22

50m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

4.0

(1)

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3. Roman City of Ammaia – Apartadura Reservoir loop from São Salvador da Aramenha

12.9km

03:31

200m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

Tips

Pacmen64 🇵🇹

April 20, 2025

Located very close to the pretty town of Marvão, in the heart of the Alentejo, in the heart of the Serra de S. Mamede Natural Park, the ruins of the Roman city of Ammaia are located in an area of great beauty, attesting to its great heritage.

In 1995, archaeological excavations began on the site, uncovering around 3,000 m2, although it is believed that the original area of the city was around twenty hectares.

The curious thing about these ruins is that in the 5th and 9th centuries they suffered the effects of a cataclysm that buried the lower part of the urban area, thus belonging to one of the few cities of the empire that, probably due to natural effects, remained preserved and on which no other urban developments were developed throughout history.

It is thus possible to study the entire urban fabric of a Roman city, highlighting important structures such as the “podium” of a temple probably from the 1st century, and the existence of public baths, as well as other domestic structures.

There is a “site museum” on site, the Ammaia City Monographic Museum, which shows the daily life of the population that lived here, as well as the various objects found and inventoried here, including one of the most important collections of Roman glass in the Iberian Peninsula.

A large part of the area occupied by the ruins is located on land owned by the Ammaia City Foundation, whose primary objective is to study, restore and preserve this important National Monument.

Translated by Google •

Carlos

November 6, 2018

Roman villa.

Translated by Google •

Pacmen64 🇵🇹

April 20, 2025

The City of Ammaia is the most important Roman ruin in the Northern Alentejo region. Set in the Natural Park of Serra de São Mamede, in São Salvador de Aramenha, near the town of Marvão, the ruins cover almost 25 metric acres.

The Roman City of Ammaia was only rediscovered in the last century. It has since been excavated and investigated by scientists from around the world. It is now a museum site.

For years the Roman remains were thought to be a villa, but only at the beginning of the last century did one begin to realize that what was buried in the Valley of Aramanha was an actual lost Roman city.

Built from scratch in the first century AD, it was a city with a forum, baths and temples over the next three hundred years. The city suffered after the collapse of Rome on the Peninsula in the 3rd century. By the time of the Moorish invasion the 9th century, the remaining residents fled to high hills of Marvão - easy to defend in a time of chaos. Ammaia's stones served to build other places, walls and monuments. The bridge would stand until the 1980s.

Pillaged, looted for stone, and buried until at the beginning of the twentieth century the existence of a large city in that area was forgotten. In the 1950s the first excavations were carried out and in recent decades the scope was also intensified, which also was helped by new technologies.

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Elevation 590 m

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Wednesday 29 October

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See hikes here

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Location: São Salvador Da Aramenha, Portalegre, Portugal

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Roman City of Ammaia

1. Roman City of Ammaia – 16th century bridge of Portagem loop from São Salvador da Aramenha

2. Praia Fluvial de Portagem – Roman City of Ammaia loop from São Salvador da Aramenha

3. Roman City of Ammaia – Apartadura Reservoir loop from São Salvador da Aramenha

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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