ALTE, 11 km east of Messines, has its own celebrated poet, Candido Guerreiro (1871 - 1953). Some of his verse is displayed on painted tile panels at a popular picnicking spot by a leafy stream at the bottom of the village. Much older tiles, some of them made in Seville in the 16th century, adorn the chapels inside the nearby parish church which has a fine Manueline portal. Widely known in Portugal for the standard of its folk music and dance groups, Alte is still proud of the national recognition it was given in 1938 when the ministry of information placed it second in a country-wide most attractive "typical" village competition. Another thing Alte is proud about is the quality of its spring water. It is said to account for the health and longevity of the locals. Only fit and healthy visitors armed with a bottle of water should bother asking directions to the Buraco dos Mouros, a place of interest about an hours trek from the village, three-chambered cave, once a hiding place for Moors, now a breeding place for bats.