Tour Guide

João Picado

Languages Spoken: English, Spanish, Portuguese

Hometown: Portalegre, Portugal

Guide Since: 2017

Bike

On an early summer morning on Alentejo’s always-empty roads

Eat

Migas de pão with pork and sopa de tomate with figs and grapes

Drink

“Herdade das Servas Colheita Seleccionada Branco” and “Pedra Basta Tinto”

Sleep

In the grass beneath the stars in Alentejo’s night sky

João is a true “Alentejano.” He was born in the northern part of the region, in a town called Portalegre, close to the Spanish border. He loves Alentejo and everything about it, from the food to the traditions, and is proud to be a local. Having a deep love for where he’s from makes it easy to share his passion for the place. He’s also a journalist as a way to express his enthusiasm for communicating and telling stories. Guiding is a kind of writing—João does it because he really believes Portugal is special and worth sharing.