Central Portugal, away from the coast, holds some of the most evocative villages in the Iberian Peninsula: fortified settlements that defended the border with Spain for centuries and villages of dark stone hidden in the valleys. Depopulated by emigration in the twentieth century, they have been restored in recent decades and grouped into tourist networks.
The 12 Historic Villages
The Aldeias Históricas de Portugal network, created from 1991, includes twelve villages of the Beira Interior, almost all near the border, with castles, walls, Jewish quarters and granite houses:
- Almeida: a perfect twelve-pointed star fortress.
- Belmonte: home of Pedro Álvares Cabral and the crypto-Jews.
- Castelo Mendo: a small walled village with two large verracos, prehistoric animal sculptures, at its gate.
- Castelo Novo: granite houses and a fine Baroque fountain on the slopes of the Serra da Gardunha.
- Castelo Rodrigo: a hilltop village with the ruins of a palace burned by the inhabitants in 1640 because its lord was loyal to Spain.
- Idanha-a-Velha: the ancient Roman and Visigothic city of Egitânia (see Monsanto and Idanha-a-Velha).
- Linhares da Beira: a castle on the Serra da Estrela and a paragliding paradise.
- Marialva: a ruined citadel on a rocky spur, one of the most evocative.
- Monsanto: houses wedged between boulders, the "most Portuguese village in Portugal".
- Piódão: the nativity-scene schist village in the Serra do Açor.
- Sortelha: the granite village built on bare rock.
- Trancoso: the walls, the Jewish quarter and King Dinis's wedding.
The twelve villages are linked by the Grande Rota 22, a route of about 600 kilometres for walking or cycling.
The Schist Villages
Further west, among the Lousã, Açor and Gardunha ranges and the Zêzere valley, the Aldeias do Xisto network brings together 27 villages built of schist, the dark, layered stone of the local mountains. Among the loveliest are Talasnal and Candal (see Lousã), Cerdeira, Fajão, Janeiro de Cima on the Zêzere river, with its schist-and-pebble houses, and Água Formosa. Many offer rural houses, craft workshops and river beaches.
Other villages not to miss
Outside these networks are other extraordinary villages: Marvão and Monsaraz in the Alentejo, Óbidos in Estremadura, the granite villages of Gerês such as Soajo and Lindoso (see Ponte da Barca), those of Montesinho, Provesende in the Douro valley and Sabugueiro, the country's highest village (see Seia). See also Portuguese architecture.
Tips
These villages are best visited by car, staying at least one night to enjoy their atmosphere after the day visitors leave. Many host medieval festivals and markets, and the best times are spring and autumn, with the colours of the chestnut woods.