Mountain villages. Between tradition and nature

Loriga Gorge, Serra da Estrela Photo: Miguel Judas

Yes, there is the snow, after all we are at the highest point of mainland Portugal and slopes painted white is not something like that common for most Portuguese, but the

Serra da Estrela is much more than that. In this typical mountain region there subsist “wildlife refuges and endemic plant formations of national importance”, as read in the decree-law that instituted the one who , even today, is the largest natural park in the country. One of the best places to enjoy all this natural wealth is the Garganta do Loriga Route , a linear route at the top of the central plateau, which runs along the 9 kilometers long, the valley of Ribeira da Nave to the village of Loriga, in a descent of more than a thousand meters in altitude through an impressive landscape, carved over 10 thousand years ago by a glacier. The village is also, in itself, worth visiting, whether for its typical mountain architecture, which earned it the epithet of “Portuguese Switzerland”, or for the numerous archaeological remains, such as the bridge and the Roman sidewalk.

Loriga Gorge, Serra da Estrela Photo: Miguel Judas

Eat

O Vicente

. Where?

EN 231, Av. Pedro Vaz Leal, 4, Loriga, Seia Reservations 238953127 www.ovicente.com

Cantinho da Serra . Where?

EN 231, Building Ventura, 3, Loriga, Seia Reservations 917910053 or Facebook: Cantinho da Serra Restaurant

To sleep

O VicenteWhere? EN 231, Av. Pedro Vaz Leal, 4, Loriga, Seia Reservations

238953127 www.ovicente.com Houses of the Source. Where?

Sazes Velho, Sazes da Beira, Seia. Reservations

238951243 www. casadanascente.com

Soajo, Peneda-Gerês National Park

Soajo, Gerês Photo: Miguel Judas

From the top of the viewpoint of Mezio, you can see in the distance the Soajo, Peneda and Amarela mountain ranges , whose immensity presents itself as an irrefutable invitation to discover. Porta do Mezio is one of the official entrances to the National Park da Peneda Gerês,

functioning here as a starting point for visitors. A little further down, at the foot of the hill, is the historic village of Soajo , known for its monumental set of centenary granaries (the oldest is from 1782). Inhabited since the 1st century, its inhabitants stood out from a very early age as hunters and even in the Middle Ages the surrounding mountains were transformed into Coutada Real, where the nobles hunted bears, wild boar, wild goats, wolves and foxes. According to legend, the inhabitants got tired of the abuses of the nobility and complained to King Dinis, ordering the knights not to linger there longer than “the time for a loaf to cool on the tip of a spear” – as is remembered in the curious shape of the village’s pillory, located in the main square, whose column symbolizes the spear and the stone, on top, a loaf of bread.

Eat

Cob of the Soajo. Where? Avenida 25 de Abril, 1425, Soajo Reservations

258576136 Facebook: Restaurante Espigueiro de Soajo

Knowing the Borralho. Where?

Av. 25 de Abril, Costa Velha, Soajo. Reservations

963708986 Facebook: Saber ao Borralho Restaurant

To sleep

House of the Vine

. Where?

Rio, Soajo, Arcos de Valdevez. Reservations

258576205 or casadovideira.pt

Lima Escape – Camping and Glamping. Where?

Camping Park of Entre Ambos-os-Rios, Lugar de Igreja, Entre Ambos-os-Rios, Ponte da Barca. Reservations 258588361 or lima-escape.pt

Cerdeira, Serra da Lousã

Landscape of Cerdeira Village Photo: Shale Villages

The schist houses , spread over the hillside, presents itself as a true monument to human ingenuity. Upon arrival in Cerdeira, one of the

most isolated villages in
Serra da Lousã

, it is not difficult to imagine the harshness of former lives, in a cycle which had its epilogue more than 40 years ago, when a discussion about sharing the water ended in tragedy for the last inhabitants, as it was immortalized in the film The End of the World, by João Mário Grilo. For the village, the end of the world actually seemed to have arrived with the blow of the sack with which Augusto Constantino finally closed the matter. However, after serving his sentence, he would return to share his knowledge with the new inhabitants, from various parts of the world, who were then beginning to arrive. Like the German Kerstin Thomas, who has a contemporary crafts workshop in the village

and was one of those responsible for the rebirth of Cerdeira through art, with the organization of the Elemento à Solta exhibition, which for more than a decade has spread works by various international artists throughout the surrounding countryside. As you would expect, the best way to get to know the area is on foot, along the walking paths which, little-by-bit, have also brought life back to life. to the old mountain trails, where, when you least expect it, it is normal to come face to face with deer, deer or wild boar.

Eat

O Burgo Restaurant . Where?

Hermitage of Senhora da Piedade, Lousã Reservations

239991162 or oburgo.pt

Restaurant Sabores da Aldeia. Where?

Candal, Lousã. Reservations

239991393 or Facebook: Flavors from the Village

To sleep

Cerdeira Home for Creativity. Where?

Place of, 3200-509, Cerdeira, Lousã

Reservations 911789605 or reservations@cerdeirahomeforcreativity.com

Palácio da Lousã Boutique Hotel

. Where?

Rua Viscondessa do Espinhal, Lousã. Reservations 239990800 or reservations@palaciodalousa.com