It began with a dual community – male and female – having become a female monastery and adopted the Rule of Saint Benedict at the end of the 11th century. The affiliation with the Cistercian Order, which occurred in the 13th century, is associated with the figure of Infanta D. Mafalda, daughter of D. Sancho I, who, in 1220, decided to incorporate the nuns into the new Order. Endowed with a vast patrimony, it became one of the most important Portuguese female monasteries. Retreating to the convent, D. Mafalda gained a reputation for holiness, to which the discovery of the …

The Praça da Liberdade has known several names along the centuries. Its construction was due to the progressive growing of the city. It was a meeting point for politicians, writers and artists and became a place searched for all classes. Among other marking events there will always be the death by hanging of the liberals, in 1829, (after this rehabilitated as “liberty martyrs”. In 1866 is open the monument to the liberal King, a tribute of the city to D. Pedro IV. The Portuguese Republic was first proclaimed here, January, 31st, 1891. In 1916, when the city council decided to …

The tour begins in the Capelão Street. Go, then, through the Mouraria Street until the Senhora da Saúde Church, where you can enjoy the woodcarving altar and the beautiful glazed tiles. Enter the picturesque Mouraria Quarter climbing the small stairs of Saúde and continue by the Largo da Rosa, where you’ll find the Convent with the same name and the São Lourenço Church. Following through the largo da Achada and going up the Calçada do Marquês de Tancos you'll find the Municipal Market Chão do Loureiro, which integrates some plastic artists’ ateliers and a beautiful esplanade. Following through the Costa …

From the Luís Cipriano Square, by the Coimbra Street, enter the República Square, framed by the buildings of the Town-Hall, dated from the XVIII century. The Aveiro city Arms are inscribed in the fronton, ended by a clock tower. The Aveirense Theatre (1947) and the most beautiful classical portico of the Misericórdia Church stand out. On top of a pedestal there is a representation of the great tribune José Estevão (1809 – 1862), at the oratory pose lent by the sculptor Simões de Almeida. Follow through the Combatentes da Grande Guerra (old Rua Direita), of interest for its buildings draft …

The Penha Longa Hotel Spa Golf Resort has a magnificent & serra de Sintra as inspiration. Absorbs the mysticism of these stops and turns them into spaces of great luxury and refinement. Are 200 hectares of Quinta da Penha Longa at your disposal, sprinkled with Lakes, gardens, small fragrant gardens, fountains and chapels. Be amazed by the beauty of the place and let yourself be enchanted by the details that make this a reference unit in Portugal. The excellent 194 rooms and suites, very spacious and with private balconies, invite you to breathe the fresh air of the Sierra. Between …

The university, founded in 1290, is one of the oldest in Europe. After alternating between Lisbon and Coimbra, it was definitively transferred to the city on the Mondego River in 1537, during the reign of King João III, establishing itself in the Royal Palace. The building became the property of the University in 1597, during the Philippine rule, and underwent several renovations over time. In 1772, the Marquis of Pombal gave new statutes to the University, and the Faculties of Mathematics and Philosophy were created, in addition to several Institutes. Notable features of the set include: the Iron Gate (the …

Of great historical value, comprises a manor house and hospital, an apothecary's shop, and a chapel with a cross along the Camino de Santiago. It is one of the few, if not the only, Morgadios in Portugal known to have been established by a pontifical order. The origin of this palace is closely linked to Santiago da Compostela, as the initial creation of the apothecary and hospital was intended to support pilgrims. The hospital would have capacity for 9 to 12 individuals and, apparently, was relatively well-equipped, as the charter of its establishment stipulated that it would offer olive oil …

About 1000 meters southwest of the village of Pitões das Júnias and camouflaged by a dense oak is the town abandoned of Gerez. Traces remain of about 40 houses of quadrangular, built with granite blocks, some crudely equipped. The streets between the houses are also well preserved, and still retain the lajeado. The spacing between the houses is about 3\/4 feet, some retain just over a metre of wall, but you can imagine, without great efforts the architecture of this village. The Oaks are invading gradually the interior of each House, giving this place a rare beauty. Is the Medieval …

The castro of Pedrário is situated on a prominent elevation that dominates a large area north to the foothills of the Larouco. Covers even part of the Valley of the river which flows to the North, Assureira since Solveira the Vilar de Perdizes. It stands at an altitude of about 1,000 meters, with an area of about 300 square meters and is located in the vicinity of the place of Pedrário, who gave him the name. Built during the iron age, the settlement was masterminded by a complex system of fortifications, particularly by two lines of wall, about 2\/3 meters …

This castro, classified as Property in the public interest, is a large fortified town that is deployed in a conical hillock and stony South-East of the village of Fields. Are visible three lines of concentric walls, housing platforms where they were deployed housing structures, setting at the top of the last platform a sort of "Acropolis". The Northern, more sheltered, the defensive system was reinforced with two cloths of wing-shaped wall, armando two secondary levels. The walls, whose width is around two metres, are irregular, polygonal apparatus with kernels of pebbles, gravel and Earth. Beyond the open door in wall …