Portugal
Cabeço do Mouro

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    • Day 42

      Historic Villages

      April 3, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      We continued our tour of the Historic Villages of Portugal, a group of 12 villages/human settlements classified as important to the history of Portugal.

      The first stop today was Belmonte, birthplace of Pedro Cabral, the Portuguese navigator regarded as the European discoverer of Brazil. He was the first person recorded to have visited 4 continents, during his voyage of 1500.
      The castle was closed today, so after a quick walk around town, we continued on to Centrum Cellas, a first century Roman tower on the outskirts of town, whose original use is still being debated.

      Second Historic Village of the day was Sortelha, a beautifully restored walled city and castle. Again, most shops were closed and only a handful tourists were wandering around.

      Next stop, Monsanto, awarded the title "Most Portuguese village in Portugal" in 1938. Not sure how they came to that conclusion... there's not a lot of other villages built around giant granite boulders. It's an otherworldly experience, with rocks forming the walls or roof of many of the houses, and a castle overlooking the whole town. It was also used as a filming location for Game of Thrones.

      At the base of Monsanto Castle is the Necropolis of São Miguel, a Roman burial ground where the bodies were buried in human shaped carvings in the stone. The bodies and lids are long gone, but they have so far discovered 80 tombs in the area.

      Our accommodation tonight is in Marvão, a city fully encircled by defensive walls, perched atop a rocky outcrop. Being only a few kilometres from Spain, it has been a defensive stronghold since the 8th Century.
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    • Day 10

      Marvao

      February 25, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

      Schon von weitem ist das Dorf mit 500 Einwohnern sichtbar. Das sanft-hügelige Land des Alentejo findet ein abruptes Ende. Die Straße schraubt sich in vielen Kurven hoch auf über 800 Meter in die kantigen Felsen. Die Temperatur sinkt.
      Eine vollständige Stadtmauer umschließt die alten Häuschen. Über ihnen thront das Castelo de Marvão. Von den Wehrgängen und der z.T. dreifachen Mauer haben wir einen weiten Blick. Bei guter Sicht soll man bis in die Serra de São Mamede und nach Castelo Branco schauen.
      Im Burghof sieht man die Spitze des Felshügels, auf dem das Dorf errichtet wurde. Die gut erhaltene Anlage ist ein Meisterwerk der Festungsbaukunst.
      Heute steht der historische Stadtkern von Marvão komplett unter Denkmalschutz. Es lohnt sich, immer mal wieder auf die Stadtmauer zu steigen, um etwas erhöht auf die kleine Stadt zu blicken.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Cabeço do Mouro, Cabeco do Mouro

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