The Roman ruins of São Cucufate, located in Vila de Frades, in the municipality of Vidigueira, were included in the list of the New 7 Wonders of Portugal, after winning the final vote of a television contest dedicated to the valorization of the country's historical and architectural heritage. The site won the distinction in the History category.
The contest also recognized Tiago Cabaço Winery, belonging to the same municipality, which won in the Contemporary Architecture category, thus highlighting Vidigueira's heritage at the national level.
The ruins of São Cucufate represent an important testimony of Roman presence in the region. The space began operating as a farming estate in the 1st century AD, reaching its greatest development in the 4th century, when the complex took on characteristics of a palatial villa, with baths and gardens, visually dominating the landscape to the south, towards Beja.
Beyond its archaeological and historical relevance, the site maintains a connection to the clay pot wine tradition, a winemaking technique practiced in the region whose origins date back to the Roman period. This distinction positions São Cucufate as heritage of national relevance, simultaneously enhancing the history, architecture and traditions that define Vidigueira's cultural identity.
