Vendas Novas grew up as a roadside inn on the royal road between Lisbon and Spain — its name recalls the stalls that once served travellers crossing this Alentejo plain of cork oaks and olive groves. The Royal Palace, commissioned by King João V in the 18th century to shelter the royal family during journeys to the Spanish border, is the town's most distinctive landmark. Now home to the Campo Militar de Santa Margarida, Vendas Novas retains its identity as a crossroads between the capital and the interior.

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