What is "arraiolos"

Arraiolos is a municipality in Évora District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 7,363, in an area of 683.75 km². The town of Arraiolos has 3,351 inhabitants. The present Mayor is Silvia Pinto, elected by the Unitarian Democratic Coalition.

The town is famous for the castel and,embroidered wool rugs and carpets. Arraiolos rugs have been made since the Middle Ages.

In October 2003, Jorge Sampaio, the then President of Portugal, invited the Presidents of Finland, Germany, as well as of soon-to-be EU members Hungary, Latvia and Poland to Arraiolos in order to discuss the consequences of the 2004 enlargement of the European Union and plans for a Constitution for Europe. Subsequent meetings of non-executive presidents of European Union member states have been dubbed Arraiolos meetings.