Miranda do Douro lies at the far north-eastern tip of Portugal, in the Terra de Miranda, on a rocky spur above the deep gorges of the Douro, which here forms the border with Spain. It is a small town with a very strong identity, cut off from the rest of the country for centuries.
The Mirandese language
In Miranda and nearby villages people speak Mirandese (mirandés), a language of Astur-Leonese origin, distinct from Portuguese. Handed down for centuries mostly orally in farming families, in 1999 it was recognised by the Portuguese Parliament as an official language of the region, and it is taught in schools: road signs are bilingual. Works such as The Lusiads and some Asterix comics have been translated into Mirandese.
The town
The main monument is the sixteenth-century co-cathedral, built when Miranda became a bishopric. Inside is the curious statuette of the Menino Jesus da Cartolinha, a Christ child dressed as a gentleman with a small top hat, linked to a legend: during a Spanish siege, a mysterious child is said to have rallied the inhabitants to resist. The castle is in ruins, blown up in 1762 during the Seven Years' War, when an explosion in the powder magazine killed hundreds of people. The Terra de Miranda Museum covers local traditions.
Pauliteiros and traditions
Miranda is famous for its pauliteiros, groups of men who perform a warrior dance clashing sticks to the rhythm of bagpipes (gaita de foles) and drums, dressed in white skirts, shawls and flowered hats. The region is also home to the Miranda donkey, a protected native breed, and the Mirandesa cow, which gives posta mirandesa, a large grilled steak, the area's signature dish.
The Douro gorges
The Douro Internacional Natural Park protects the river gorges, with granite walls hundreds of metres high where griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures and eagles nest. Environmental cruises leave Miranda and travel up the canyon, an extraordinary natural spectacle. Miranda is about an hour by car from Bragança; the Spanish city of Zamora is 50 kilometres away.