Portugal: Elvas – Amoreira Aqueduct

A must see attraction in Elvis is the stunning Amoreira Aqueduct. Elvas didn’t have reliable water sources and being a border fortress town it had to be able to withstand monthlong sieges by the Spanish. So the solution – a massive aqueduct to bring water from the valleys to the west. The entire structure stretches for roughly 8.5 km (5.3 m) from its freshwater source at the Amoreira spring to the city center. The most dramatic section rises to a towering maximum height of 31 m (102 ft). The aqueduct was designed by the prominent royal architect Francisco de Arruda, the same guy behind Lisbon’s iconic Belem Tower. To bear the weight of the water, Arruda used a complex network of multi-tiered arches, up to four levels of them in some spots. It took nearly a 100 years to build it – 1537 to 1622! It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, quite deservingly so.