Ponte de Lima, on the banks of the Lima in the green heart of the Minho, claims the title of Portugal's oldest town: it received its foral, its charter of privileges, in 1125 from Countess Teresa, mother of the first king, before the kingdom was even born. It is an elegant, quiet town of noble houses, churches and tree-lined riverside avenues.
The bridge and the river of forgetfulness
The bridge that gives the town its name crosses the Lima with a long row of arches: one part, on the right bank, is Roman, while the rest was built in the fourteenth century. According to legend, in 138 BC the Roman soldiers of General Decimus Junius Brutus, arriving here, refused to cross the river, believing it was the Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, which made anyone who crossed it forget everything. The general crossed first and called his soldiers one by one by name, proving that he remembered them. On the right bank a group of statues of legionaries recalls the legend.
The town
The old centre, within the remains of its walls, keeps medieval towers, the mother church, noble mansions and the sacred art museum in the Terceiros complex. Along the river, the tree-lined Avenida dos Plátanos is the place for a stroll. Every other Monday since 1125 a large market has been held on the riverbank. In September the Feiras Novas, one of the oldest and most popular festivals in the Minho, fill the town with music, fireworks, parades and stalls. Since 2005 the International Garden Festival has presented gardens by landscape designers from around the world each year, from May to October.
Manor houses and food
The surrounding countryside has many manor houses, solares, and Ponte de Lima is where turismo de habitação, staying in historic homes lived in by their owners, began in the 1980s. Food is classic Minho: arroz de sarrabulho, rice with pork and blood, and vinho verde from the Loureiro grape. The town is an important stop on the Portuguese Way of St James. It is about 30 minutes by car from Viana do Castelo and 40 from Braga; Ponte da Barca is nearby.