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The whitewashed, red-roofed houses of Castelo de Vide climbing the hillside below the castle keep in the Alto Alentejo, under a cloudless blue sky

The Alentejo Certifies Its First 18 'Stay Cool' Climate Refuges, With €1 Million Nationally Behind the Scheme

Almodovar and Cuba have seven each, Mourao two, Arronches and Castelo de Vide one apiece. Turismo de Portugal's call covers 80% of eligible costs to a ceiling of €75,000 per application, and stays open until the €1 million is gone.

The Portugal Brief 23 Aug 2026

The whitewashed houses of Ericeira on the clifftop above the fishing beach, with Atlantic surf breaking over the rocks and breakwater below a grey sky

Mafra Closes an Ericeira Hostel That Ran for Two Years Without a Local-Accommodation Registration

The council fined the Santo Isidoro property, ordered it shut and referred the case to ASAE, having cancelled its alojamento local registration in August 2024. Inspectors also found unlicensed works in common areas and a bar with no municipal approval.

The Portugal Brief 23 Aug 2026

Visitors tasting Portuguese wine at the D'Oliveiras tasting hall in Funchal, seated at barrel-top tables in front of shelves of vintage-labelled bottles

Seventy-Two Countries Send Sommeliers to Lisbon in October, and the Portuguese Trade Wants Them Selling Quality Over Volume

The ASI Best Sommelier of the World runs in Lisbon from 11 to 17 October, with competitors from 72 markets and more than 3,500 people expected. Portuguese wine grew 1.1% by volume last year while imports fell 18.4%, and the sector says value is the only route left.

The Portugal Brief 23 Aug 2026

The green dome of the Rosa Mota pavilion rising above clipped hedges and trees in the gardens of the Palácio de Cristal in Porto, where the city's Book Fair is held

The Porto Brief, Week of 23 August 2026: The Mayor Asks to Put Police on the City Payroll, the Eurotrams Wilt Again, and a €75 Million Boavista Tower Trades Luxury for Volume

Pedro Duarte asks the PSP to let the câmara hire officers for the Cândido dos Reis nightlife strip, Metro do Porto's 25-year-old Eurotrams lose their air conditioning above 35C, a €75 million Boavista tower swaps luxury flats for 249 mid-market homes, and the Book Fair fills the Palácio de Cristal.

The Portugal Brief 23 Aug 2026

General Daily Briefing: Sunday, 23 August 2026

General Daily Briefing: Sunday, 23 August 2026

Good morning. Here is your Sunday briefing for 23 August 2026: the day's essential Portugal stories for residents, expats and anyone keeping an eye on the country, running from the closing day of the country's biggest romaria and the death of its oldest resident to a

The Portugal Brief 23 Aug 2026

An aerial view of the port of Horta on Faial in the Azores, with an Atlanticoline inter-island ferry moored alongside the breakwater quay

A Technical Fault Takes the Gilberto Mariano Out of Service and Reshuffles Azores Inter-Island Sailings

Atlanticoline found the fault during routine maintenance checks and will change departure times and reassign other ships to cover. The vessel works the central group in high season, plus the Flores and Corvo link. No repair timeline has been given.

The Portugal Brief 23 Aug 2026

A Galp filling station forecourt in the Algarve under a deep blue sky, with the canopy, pumps and yellow Desconto banners visible from the roadside

The Fuel-Tax Rebate Widens on Monday, Cushioning an Expected 3.5-Cent Rise in Diesel

From 25 August the ISP rebate is 8.16 cents a litre on diesel and 5.40 on petrol, up from 8.05 and 4.96. The ACP forecasts diesel rising about 3.5 cents and petrol about 2.5, so diesel drivers still face a net increase of roughly 2.4 cents.

The Portugal Brief 23 Aug 2026

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