This is a grand theme to describe in one brief chapter, we have so many things to try and enjoy!

There are cheeses which aren't cut but broken with a hammer after they have been marinated for a long time in olive oil and shrunk by more than half. As a result they are small, "hard as horn" and a splinter of this cheese is tasteful enough to flavour a whole kilo of bread. Then, there are the fish - dishes, beginning with <torricado> of cod, which is made of a base of bread fried in olive oil with grilled cod splinters, all with obscene amounts of garlic; but we also have eel which can be had <ensopado> , as <caldeirada>, fried with rice with beans, marinated, "lagareiro" - style ( grilled with olive oil and garlic sauce) or with the fantastic herring- <acorda>
( soup with bread and herring eggs): This one can be served fried in slices so thin that it can be eaten whole, fishbones and all.
For meats, one dish I can recommend is a soup called "bone soup" which is a type of meat broth with pasta, beans and mint. Also, now that we are talking about soups, there is also the <sopa de pedra> (stone soup), which is prepared initially with a stone and boiling water, which by the time it is finished contains Chorizo, different types of meat, potatoes, beans, pasta, tomatoes, cumin and plenty of other goodies.... For pudding, there are pots with honey, <fios de ovos>, <barretes>, <pampilhos>, bread with nuts and olive oil and God knows what else!

And what about tapas? There is tripe and gizzard, <moleja>,
<lameijinhas>, sweet- water shrimp from the Tagus, but also eggs mixed with < tuberas> ( a type of mushroom) and wild asparagus. Would you like to know what all this is and how it tastes?

Nowadays, thanks to the wonderful efforts of enologists and agriculturists, the Ribatejo is now in a position to offer excellent wines of different varieties and price - ranges. The main grape varieties are: < Trincadeira>, <Castelao> and <Touriga Nacional>, and we also have pearls such as Pinot Noir and Fernao Pires. The reds are generally strong and dense, perfumed and persistent. The whites are robust, some of them very fruity. The roses are lighter and fresher.

There are interesting eaux - de vies, mainly made from grapes, but also pear - and fig - distillates. Then there are the liqueurs, made from cherries, strawberries and peach. The experience can be fascinating.

You can go for a stroll by foot, by car and by bycicle, but, as everyone who has tried it knows, nothing compares to an excursion on horsedback. Slowly, as though going for a walk, greeting the passers- by from above, proudly swaying on the horses' back. Passing the fields and the riverbanks, following the green pastures or passing the barrage, riding on horseback is always a unique experience.

Of course there are ants. Ants are one essential ingredient.But a pic - nic doesn't only consist of ants and square bits of cloth, what matters above all are the participants, the food we'll bring to taste and enjoy, the way we'll manage to integrate in the country, at the heart of nature. The best sites I know for my pic - nics are shaded by willows, brooklets winding down their path by the side, little white and yellow flowers spread out on the meadows and, yes, plenty of ants.

Salvaterra de Magos is the region with the highest concentration of horse breeding and stud farms in its district, which is remarkable considering the size of the area. The majority of the farms are dedicated to the "lusitano" horse and some of them have been awarded medals in competitions for dressage and professional horsemanship. Also, selections for specifical characteristics such as colour of coat are made. Also, an annual fair where quality specimen of the local breeders are put up for auction is celebrated.

We may or we may not like bullfights, however they do exist and the Ribatejo is the area par excellence. Since the Festa Brava exists, there are also bull breeders where the bulls are selected and graded according to their vigour, strength, ferocity, complexion and belligerence. these animals graze freely in wild herds which have very little contact with humans. They are savage and very territorial and only have limited contact to the herdsmen. These are professionals who are specialized in handling this type of beast and, contrary to stereotype, they are not decked out in festive gear sporting green and red waistcoats, berets and gilded trousers. Anyway, to watch these men doing their unique work leaves a deep impression.

Salvaterra de Magos is a region rich in history, been granted privileges by D. Dinis in 1295. But well before that, pre - historic people lived here, proven by the musselbanks of Muge, one of the most important sites in Europe. later on, a royal palace was erected, complete with opera and falconry, the construction taking place between the XVIth and the XVIIIth centuries. The falconry which has been restored and a chapel remain to this day, both of them having been classified as national monuments. The so - called Vala Real, an artificial canal which linked the royal palace to the river Tagus and along which the court travelled on its way to said palace, remains. Today, where the palace was situated and connected to the canal we have the local Marina, the most sheltered in this region. The histories of Salvaterra de Magos and the Tagus always have been inextricably linked. Pre - historic man already eked out his existence thanks to the river, the Romans built an important port, and through the XIXth and XXth centuries, produce from the regions Alentejo and Ribatejo were loaded and shipped from here to Lisbon.

There are also stories about villages which remained more or less isolated from the XIVth until the early XXth centuries; about immigrations of fishermen from the north who, bit by bit, constructed palisade dwellings on the banks of the river which exist to this day along with their colourful vessels.

But obviously history didn't end at that point. the Roman era left bridges and roads, the Arab epoch left names and instruments, the middle ages left more bridges, churches and chapels, the Renaissance left palaces, the Republic left a wistful aristocracy and the New State left stories of assault on liberties.

Salvaterra de Magos is all of the above. It is enough to know how to seek and to like to hear stories...