![Alentejo, Portugal](https://images.suitcasemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/10124743/long-hot-summer-where-to-head-for-some-late-season-sun_654a85934fa33.jpeg)
Alentejo
Portugal
An autumn escape in southern Portugal's wild, little-populated Alentejo region makes a lot of sense, with temperatures of around 23ºC making for breezy explorations of the area's famously golden landscapes and historic towns - minus the crowds. Bookend your days with sun-drenched, multi-course breakfasts and farm-to-fork dinners featuring the best of the Alentejo's rich natural larder and make time for at least one wine tasting - innovative regional winemakers are producing some fantastic reds, whites and rosés. Wind your way through the medieval streets of Unesco-listed Évora, dropping in and out of its many independent boutiques (the gorgeous cork pieces at O Cesto Artesanato will solve any gift-buying headaches), and stroll along the rugged cliffs of Costa Vicentina. In these parts, October is olive harvest season. At the 200-year-old agricultural estate-turned-design-led retreat São Lourenço do Barrocal, guests are invited to pick and stomp the bounty of the estate's 600,000sq m grove, before dining on an olive oil-drenched menu at one of its two restaurants.