Towns and Villages

The castle built on the top of the hill known as Monte do Pilar is the most important monument in the region and, according to tradition, D. Teresa, the mother of the first king of Portugal was held prisoner there in the twelfth century after the Battle of São Mamede, in which mother and son fought on opposite sides. In the seventeenth century, the monastery of Nossa Senhora do Pilar was built next to the castle.

In the nearby village of Fonte Arcada is a twelfth-century Romanesque church that is well worth a visit.

Situated in the heart of the vinho verde demarcated wine region, Póvoa de Lanhoso is well known for its granite quarrying and cutting industries and its remarkable goldsmith´s work (filigree).