On 9 January, the Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR Alentejo, I.P.) hosted the Signing Ceremony of the Terms of Acceptance under the “Inclusion through Culture” call, part of the Alentejo 2030 Regional Programme. The event marked a key milestone in the implementation of cultural access and social inclusion projects across the Alentejo region.
The ceremony brought together several beneficiary organisations, including the Ammaia Foundation, represented by its president, Nuno Pereira.
“Nuno Pereira, I am the President of the Ammaia Foundation and, in that capacity, I am here to represent the Foundation in accepting the terms of this project, which we were very pleased to be awarded,” he began. “This is a project that I would almost call unique in Europe.”
The Roman City of Ammaia, located in São Salvador da Aramenha, municipality of Marvão, is one of Portugal’s most important archaeological sites, classified as a National Monument since 1949. Pereira emphasised the distinctive nature of the institution: “We are a unique case in Portugal: a private foundation responsible for a national heritage site that belongs to everyone.”
He also highlighted the ongoing challenges: “We receive no State funding whatsoever. We have to be very creative in how we secure financing and ensure the Foundation’s sustainability.”
The project funded under Alentejo 2030 has two main pillars. The first focuses on raising local awareness of Ammaia: “We aimed to make Ammaia better known within the municipality. We’ve worked with local entities, and now we have a book, ‘Ammaia Told to the Little Ones’, which was created with the help of schoolchildren who named the characters and acted as godparents to them.”
The second pillar addresses cultural poverty: “For us, poverty is not only about putting food on the table. Not having access to culture is also a significant form of poverty. As the CCDR vice-president rightly said: without culture, there is nothing.”
The Foundation intends to bring Ammaia to every school in the district: “Over the next three years, we want to reach all the district’s schools with direct initiatives. The book may be part of those activities. Then we’ll bring the students to Ammaia to experience being archaeologists for a day or two.”
The initiative also includes an intergenerational approach: “We want to involve the elderly—those who are young at heart—who are still active and can support us, for example, by helping with museum tours or participating in school holiday programmes with children. And we want the young people, especially those facing social challenges, to later return and explain Ammaia to the elderly, creating a cultural exchange.”
Regarding the funding amount, Pereira stated: “It’s around €280,000, including our own contribution. Spread over three years, with no direct support from the State.”
On patronage, he was clear: “Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of support. In Portugal, sponsorship is still largely associated with art galleries or painting. Archaeology hasn’t received the same recognition.”
He also acknowledged the role of the Foundation’s founder: “Engineer Lancier was the one who invested initially. He bought the land—we now own 21 of the city’s 25 hectares—and established the Foundation. I stepped in when he fell ill, and after his passing, I was elected.”
He concluded: “Much success. Ammaia belongs to everyone.”
Discovered in the 1930s and situated within the São Mamede Natural Park, the ruins of Ammaia are a lasting testament to Roman Lusitania, with its historical territory stretching across much of modern-day Portalegre district and parts of present-day Spain.
With this European funding, the Ammaia Foundation reinforces its mission to promote heritage education, community engagement, and the safeguarding of national archaeological heritage.
