Charmed life

At the stroke of midday, the bells start to peal and a young, newly married couple emerges from the hallowed darkness of the Church of St Francisco, into the glare of the baking sun. As they stand radiantly on the steps and pose for photos, their guests gather around them and don their shades.

Young children dressed in their Sunday best play in the shadows, and old ladies dressed in black throw rice over the happy couple. This scene is a regular feature of Saturday in Evora. And it certainly sets the tone for our romantic weekend escape.

As the wedding party leaves the church, car horns honking, another swiftly arrives, preventing us from taking a look inside the church. Instead, we make do with the Chapel of Bones next door. Once entombed in this 16th-century chamber, I suddenly realise why it got its name: its walls and columns are lined entirely with bones and skulls. It's probably not the best place to be taking my romantic companion.

Gathered by Franciscan monks from overflowing graveyards in the 17th century, the collection of more than 5,000 human relics is creepy, and there are even two desiccated corpses hanging from the wall. I'm intrigued, but my companion reads the inscription - "We bones that are here, await yours" - and insists we make a move.

The Chapel of Bones apart, the gentle hilltop town of Evora is perfect for a romantic weekend away. Situated half way between Lisbon and the Spanish border, in the heart of the Alentejo, amid sweeping cornfields, cork-oak plantations, vineyards, olive groves and fields of sunflowers, it is just over an hour's drive from the capital.

Within its medieval fortified walls, which look fabulously fairytale when floodlit at night, you can admire an outlook that has changed little in appearance since the Portuguese court ruled the roost from here between the 14th and 16th centuries.

As a result, this Unesco World Heritage Site is packed with stunning renaissance palaces (most of which are now public buildings), small stately squares and ornate religious piles, as well as a fair selection of Roman and Moorish ruins.

Everywhere you turn, you could be forgiven for thinking that you've walked on to the set of a period film. Evora is a bit like an old but ornate wedding cake - highly decorative in the local 16th-century Manueline style with features that look like upside-down ice-cream cones. And that's what gives it its unique charm.

The only way to see it is on foot. Wander through the maze of twisting Moorish cobbled alleys lined with whitewashed, yellow-edged buildings, or stroll through the shaded arcades lining the sleepy squares, and you are almost guaranteed not to hear any other English voices. Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve are awash with Brits, but few have yet discovered the charms of Evora.

To make the most of the romance, your choice of a bed for the night is crucial. The only places really worth considering are the large, modern four-star Hotel da Cartuxa and the Pousada dos Loios, housed in a converted 15th-century monastery. With its pretty pool and gorgeous grounds backing on to the medieval town walls, the Cartuxa is big on space but lacks the Pousada's intimacy and character. By contrast, the bedrooms in the Pousada are, as you'd expect from former monks' cells, a tad on the small side. And forward planning is essential. With only 33 rooms, the Pousada books up a year in advance.

There's just the right amount to see in Evora to make you feel that you can dip in and out of it without missing anything. Take a stroll, see some of the sights, stop for an alfresco beer or take coffee at one of the many cafes, then pop back to the hotel for a doze or soak up some sun by the pool. Bordered by cloisters, the pool at the Pousada is particularly pleasant.

To get your bearings and for a superb overview of the Moorish quarter and the surrounding countryside, the best place to start is the pretty tree-lined gardens at the top of the town, the Jardim de Diana, next to the Pousada. A stone's throw away is the second-century Templo Romano, Portugal's best-preserved classical monument. For a perfect romantic moment, you can wander out from the Pousada at night with a glass of wine and sit in the shadows between the floodlit columns under a starry sky.

Of Evora's 22 churches, the nearby 14th-century, fortress-like cathedral is the biggest. It was here that the flags of Vasco da Gama's ships, bound for India, were blessed in 1497. The cathedral houses Portugal's oldest pipe organ and an altar with, unusually, a pregnant statue of Our Lady. Local women come to pray here before giving birth.

In the centre of it all is the Praca do Giraldo, the main square. Like the rest of the town, it is highly decorative, flanked with impressive buildings, churches, fountains and plenty of cafes. By far the best is the newly restored Cafe Arcada on Praco de Giraldo 7, which serves up rich sugary pastries. Don't miss their queijada -small, slightly savoury cheese tarts.

There no shortage of fine restaurants to choose between; in fact, it is hard to go wrong in Evora. Most of them serve up the same regional cuisine, and such is the quality of the cooking that people drive here from Lisbon for lunch. The Cozinha de Santo Humberto, situated on Rua da Moeda 39, is one of the locals' favourites. Here, you can tuck into traditional dishes such as grilled shrimp, pork with clams, and wild boar and hare, followed by sticky desserts. A three-course meal washed down with the local Esporão wine costs €28 a head.

For lunch, try Restaurante Repas, one of the many restaurants on the sunny square, Praca 1 de Maio. Here we enjoyed big platefuls of calamari and chips and several beers each, and the bill only came to €12. It's also worth looking out for Restaurante O'Aquaino on Rua de Valdevinos 7, which is housed in a small, cellar-like vaulted room, and Restaurante Tipico Guião, Rua da Republica 81, near the fruit and vegetable market.

A candlelit dinner in the cloisters at the Pousada is hard to beat for its romantic atmosphere and divine food. There's a long menu, an extensive wine list and the service is superb. I downed asparagus with hollandaise sauce followed by duck breast with raspberries while my companion had gaspacho a alentejana and grilled shrimp with piri-piri. We splashed out on an expensive bottle of Cartuxa tinhto, and, with fresh fruit for dessert, the bill came to €95. After dinner, we drank port on the outdoor terrace of Cafe Bar Esplanada, Rua 5 de Outubro 53, which, according to the bartender, turns into a disco after 2am. But by midnight, we were ready for bed.

It's worth exploring the neighbouring countryside, and we had a happy hour driving out to Monsaraz, a tiny fortified hilltop village on top of a rocky outcrop. On the way, we stopped off at numerous ceramic studios in the hamlet of Corval, in search of the ideal salad bowl, which, sadly, we didn't find. But Monsaraz, with its magnificent ruined castle and sleepy streets, came up trumps, as did its delicious ice-cream and medieval atmosphere.

When we arrived in Evora on Friday evening, we thought that two nights wouldn't be enough. We were right. As we left, we both agreed that another day would have been perfect.

Getting there: Magic of Portugal (0870 0270480, Magic of Portugal) offers three nights' B&B at the Hotel da Cartuxa from £350pp, or three nights' B&B at the Pousada dos Loios from £400pp, including return scheduled flights from Heathrow and car hire.

Where to stay: Pousada dos Loios (+266 704 051, Pousada dos Loios). Hotel de Cartuxa (+266 739 300).

Further information: Portuguese National Tourist Office, 22 Sackville Street, London W1S 3LY 0906 3640610, http://www.portugalinsite.pt/.

Country code: 00 351. Time difference: +1hr. Flight time: Heathrow-Lisbon: 2hrs 40min. £1 = 1.52 euros.