While in Évora, we stayed in one of the most splendid government-owned tourist inns in Portugal, which is the Pousada dos Lóios, now under UNESCO protection. It occupies the Lóios Monastery, built in 1485 on the site of the old Évora Castle, which was destroyed during a riot in 1384. A powerful noble, Don Rodrigo Afonso de Melo, founded the monastery and carried on his back two baskets of soil and the first stone for the foundation ceremony. Joăo II, IV, and V visited the monastery. Official Inquisition reports were kept in the chapter room, which features 16th-century doorways in Moorish-Portuguese style. After the 1755 earthquake, extensive work was done to repair and preserve the structure. Over the years it was used as a telegraph station, a primary school, an army barracks, and offices. The 1965 opening of the pousada made possible the architectural restoration of the monastery. Its position in the center of Évora, between the cathedral and the ghostlike Roman Temple of Diana, is unrivaled. One of the best kept secrets… a must if you’re ever in Évora