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 Vila Real Accommodation
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Vila Real - History
The recorded history of Vila Real seems to begin in 1289 when the
King Dom, Afonso III, granted the town a royal warrant. It was here
that the explorer Diogo Cão was born and who later discovered in
1482 the entrance to the mouth of the River Congo in Africa. The rebel
Manuel de Silveira Pinto da Fonseca who was also held the title of
Conde de Amarante and whose direct actions in 1823 led to the War of
the Miguelites, established his headquarters for his
revolutionary movement in the town until he was later forced to escape into
exile in Spain. (Visit - Portugal History)
Vila Real
- Description
Located at the converging point of two rivers it has always been a busy
agricultural and commercial town, mainly based around the lucrative wine
and port trade. Its main feature is its fine 15th Century Gothic Cathedral
that was originally a church belonging to the Order of Dominicans whose
Monastery was later completely destroyed in the 19th Century when there
was a strong movement for the liberalisation of the country from the hold
of both the church and old nobility. Nearby is the Igreja dos Clérigos,
a church with an attractive Baroque facade and tiled interior. The Igreja
de São Pedro is from the 16th Century and its interior is rich with many
sculptures and sacred tiling. The Archaeological Museum of the town also
has a large collection of coins covering all periods of history. It is
from this town that boat trips through the upper valley of the Rio Dão
can be taken. The town of Vila Real is well known for its distinctive black
toned coloured pottery whose origin is unspecified. A specialty food of the
town is the "Touchinho do Céu" that is made with a pumpkin filling.
Vila Real - Nearby Locations
Just about 3 Kms. to the northeast of the town is the now world famous
Casa Mateus, a fine example of an aristocratic country manor from
the early 18th Century. Still owned by the descendants of its creator the
home is open to visitors and in which occasional music and poetry events
regularly take place. The façade is that which appears on the bottle of
the internationally famous Rose wine. An attractive feature of this
property is the gardens and especially the famed "Cedar Tunnel" that is
composed of cedars 7.5 metres high creating some 35 metres of a walkway
as a covered tunnel. Slightly further to the northwest of Vila Real
starts the protected area named Parque Natural do Alvão. Its
topography varies considerably from well-cultivated valleys to the stark
mountains reaching up to 1.339 metres (4.393 feet). Being unfortunately
close to an urban area the illegal hunters still abound. Happily some
hawks, otters, and other wild life can still be spotted in the Park.
In the area of Lamas de Olo the locally grown maize is still
stored in the curious practical structures named “Segueiros”.
These structures are either built from wood or granite and raised from
the ground so that they maintain the maize in the right conditions. They
have hardly changed from their original design dating back to the early
18th Century. Close to the village is the spectacular water cascades
named Fisgas de Ermelo. On the northwest side of this Park is the
town of Cabeceiras de Basto, a popular location as a refuge from
the Moors during their lengthy occupation of Portugal. By reputation this
was due to the apparent fighting tenacity of the monks who once inhabited
the Mosteiro de Refojos.
To the east of Vila Real is the unique site of Santuário de
Panóias, being the only one of its type known in the world. It is
believed that the location was first used for the sacrifice of animals to
the Gods by the human tribes of the area. Later, the Romans also used the
location for making tributes to their Gods and then following the Romans
the next invaders Visigoths also made their sacrifices. Nearby is the
Torre de Quintela constructed in the 13th Century. It is unusual
in that this Tower has no castle and the views from it are are quite
spectacular.
Directly to the west of Vila Real is the town of Amarante
and is recorded as existing in 360BC as the home of Santo São Gonçalo.
His claim to fame seems to have been his ability to keep ladies from male
temptation and yet finding them husbands. In this town is a museum devoted
to the fine works of the 20th Century Portuguese Cubist painter Amadeo
de Sousa-Cardoso. A contemporary and friend of both Picasso and
Braque and his works were already highly regarded in both Paris and
New York in 1913.
To the south of Vila Real is the stretch of the Rio Douro
where most of the Port wine Lodges have their “Quintas”. This area
is the home of the wines that are produced for the Port trade with multiple
terraced vineyards dominated by houses that can date back as far as to the
15th Century. The drive is most spectacular and is some 125 Kms long with
good overnight resting places and with some "Quintas" to visit with
the opportunity to taste their port. To the southwest and on the north side
of the Rio Douro is the attractive town of Mesão Frio that
contains architecturally historic buildings. The town was a favourite in
1152 to Portugal’s first Queen, Malfalda. Its inhabitants enjoyed
certain special privileges but they were to later suffer under the rule of
the Spanish King Philip II and the invasion of the French under
Napoleon.
On the south side of the Rio Douro is the town of Lamego
that claims to be the first town in 1143 to recognize the ascendancy of
Dom Afonso Henriques as the first King of Portugal. The castle of
the town, the Cathedral and the Igreja de Santa Maria Maior de
Almacave, all date from the 12th Century. The Town Museum is well
stocked with items of national importance reflecting not only local
history but international pieces. The town is noted for its involvement in
the production of wine and Viuva Lamego pottery. It is also a place
of pilgrimage particularly to the Chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios
built in 1761 with its impressive double staircase of 686 steps. To the
east of this region known as Trás-os-Montes, is the town of
Torre de Moncorvo that has the biggest 16th Century Church in the
whole province. South of the town is the Vila Nova de Vale da Cõa
that boasts the worlds largest known collection of open-air Stone Age
drawings that are estimated to be from about 20.000 years ago. These
drawings feature bulls, horses, fish and a naked man and the area can be
visited with the assistance of a guide. Lying about halfway between
Vila Real and Guarda is the small town of Penedono,
with its small but impressive castle that records show existed before 960
AD. On the road south to the town of Lamego is the Spa of Termas
das Caldas de Moledo and directly to the west of the same town is yet
another Spa, Caldas de Aregos.
Vila Real Photos
Village
· Goat Herd
· Rural
· Rural
· Chapel
· Old Town
· River and Town
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Vila Real Events |
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| Town Holiday |
13th June |
| Market Day |
Every Tuesday and Friday of the month
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Transmontana Towns
Bragança
· Castelo Branco
· Chaves
· Guarda
· Viseu
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Useful Vila Real Telephone Numbers
5000