After breakfast in the hotel we walked up to the castle that shares the hilltop. At 1.3€ entry is a bargain. The Castle grounds are extensive and well maintained and it is all open to unimpeded exploration. The grounds feature a cistern and walkways along the walls and slit windows and expansive views, The stone was slippery in the rain and many of the walkways narrow and lacking in railings. Castles weren't built to code.
The first castle to be built on this site dates to an 8th century Islamic knight, Ibn Marwan. The current Castelo de Marvo dates to the 12th century King Dom Dinis. The castle was remodeled during the 17th century so it has two set of walls. The inner walls are from medieval times, the outer from the "Guerra da Restaurao", the war between Portugal and Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution (1640) and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon (1668). I felt some of this history wandering around inside its walls, looking through slit windows, standing in a cramped stone guard tower, looking down to Marvao and further to the neighboring countryside. A commanding spot indeed.
The afternoon turned to rain so we relaxed by the fire in the hotel.
