Vila Nova de Foz Côa is a small town in the upper Douro valley, near its confluence with the Côa. Its name is tied to one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century: the world's largest concentration of open-air Palaeolithic rock art.
The discovery
In the early 1990s, during studies for a large dam on the Côa, archaeologists found thousands of engravings of animals on the valley's schist rocks, dating back as far as some 25,000-30,000 years. The dam would have drowned them all. A huge campaign followed, with the now-famous slogan "as gravuras não sabem nadar", the engravings can't swim, backed by students, scientists and the public. In 1995 the government halted the dam and created the Côa Valley Archaeological Park. In 1998 the sites were listed by UNESCO, and in 2010 the listing was extended to the nearby Spanish site of Siega Verde.
The engravings
The figures mostly depict horses, aurochs (wild cattle), ibex and deer, sometimes superimposed, engraved with different techniques; some give an impression of movement, with heads drawn in several positions. Three main sites can be visited, only on guided tours that must be booked: Canada do Inferno, near the museum, Penascosa, also at sunset or at night with raking light, and Ribeira de Piscos, reached on foot. You travel by four-wheel drive with park guides.
The Côa Museum
The Museu do Côa, opened in 2010, is a concrete building shaped like a great monolith set into the hill above the confluence of the Côa and the Douro. With casts, projections and finds it explains the valley's Palaeolithic art and is the ideal starting point before the visits. The view of the two valleys from the terrace is superb.
Almonds and surroundings
From late February to March the area is covered in the white and pink blossom of almond trees, a sight that draws many visitors. The area also produces olive oil and Douro Superior wines. Nearby are the village of Castelo Melhor, with its castle, and the historic village of Castelo Rodrigo. Foz Côa is about an hour by car from Guarda, or by train to Pocinho, the end of the Douro line.