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News & Press: ELIA NEWS & EVENTS

Situating Ourselves in Évora

Tuesday 18 April 2023  

Image description (left to right): Dean of the School of the Arts University of Évora, Ana Telles, and ELIA Executive Director, Maria Hansen, walk through the historic streets of Évora, Portugal.

 
ELIA Executive Director Maria Hansen, accompanied by conference manager Nona Thani, made their way to Évora to tend to final preparations in advance of ELIA Academy 2023. 
 
Last week, I had the opportunity to travel to Évora, Portugal for our final logistics visit there. Most of us arrived at Lisbon airport and then found our way to the small city of Évora, which is part of the Alentejo region and is about 1,5 hours south of Lisbon. Since there is no direct train connection from Lisbon airport, I first needed to take the underground to Lisbon Oriente station, and switch to the Évora train there. If anyone is worried about this as you prepare to attend the ELIA Academy 2023 in Évora, don’t be. Nothing could be easier. At Oriente, we took many stairs to suddenly find ourselves under the imposing yet intricate roof of the Oriente station, designed by architect Santiago Calatrava for the 1998 Expo in Lisbon.  

Coming from gloomy Dutch weather, I soaked in the lovely sun and 25-degree temperatures before boarding the train to Évora. As is my practice, I pulled out my laptop to start working, but was stopped short by the stunning views offered by the ride across the iconic Ponte 25 de Abril, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. This was then followed by the beautiful, green and serene countryside we entered on the other side of the Tagus River. Not much work was done during the train ride, and I could see other passengers settling into a similar state of zen, which was palpable. This feeling lingered throughout our visit to Évora -  also announced as the European Capital of Culture 2027 with a programme centred on ‘vagar’ or ‘slow living’. A big thanks in advance to our hosts at the School of the Arts of University of Évora for taking the ELIA community to this magical place next month! 

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Image description (body): Roof of the Oriente station, designed by architect Santiago Calatrava for the 1998 Expo in Lisbon

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