Councils

Alijó – Amarante- Baião – Cabeceiras de Basto – Celorico de Basto – Marco de Canaveses – Mesão Frio – Mondim de Basto – Murça – Sabrosa – Santa Marta de Penaguião – Vila Real

Overview

The Marão mountain range asserts itself through cultural factors in which its isolation and geographical conditions have exert a profound influence on the life of the population, which, for reasons of survival, pride and identity, maintains its origins, way of life, heritage and the wisdom of living in communion with Nature, an essential part of life in the region. The mountains constitute the region’s geo-morphological identity where the most significant points of interest are Alvão Natural Park and the Douro region, part of World Heritage, with its best known product, Port wine. It has a large of number of attractions, but the Douro, which can be visited using any means of transport (of particular interest, trains and boats, with its first-class hotels), is an opportunity to learn more about the natural environment and landscape which the inhabitants have built up over the centuries by respecting Nature in order to obtain from it great benefits.
The Serra do Marão Tourism Region covers a vast and diversified territory: within its borders, one can find the landscapes typical of Minho, Douro and Trás-os-Montes. The Trás-os-Montes landscapes are characterised by grandeur and austere solemnity; they are many times stony, such as Serra do Alvão (Alvão Mountains), where countless granite blocks appear to have been laid at random. The deep land of the small valleys bordering the waterways can be remarkably fertile. As we are in an area of small farms, the arable land is a patchwork quilt, in different matching shades of green. It is beautiful to see, this dialogue between the rugged land and these small spots of fertility.
It is a region that not only provides leisure activities and the pleasure of reading about the items recommended by the travel guides but also a deep insight into local scenic, environmental and human values.

25 Centuries of History

The region show signs of having been inhabited since pre-historic times. Remains from the Neolithic can be found: menhirs and alignments and above all chamber tombs, as well as inscriptions, paintings in caves and other signs of human presence. The “Castro” (fortified camp) culture followed, dating from pre- Roman times, documented in numerous “Castros”, fortified settlements usually located on the hilltops offering the best conditions for natural defence. Little is know of the peoples that inhabited them. The Romanisation is one of the most significant moments in the history of the region, since it brought progress and peace to the native tribes. The Romans came to stay because their instinct told them that there were more than enough reasons to settle down here: gold in abundance, medicinal waters and splendid wines. A number of remains of testify to their presence: bridges and roads, the Jales and Três Minas gold mines, and above all, the monumental and enigmatic sanctuary in Panóias. A long period followed during which the region became virtually uninhabited. The impact of the Moorish occupation in the 8th century can be seen mainly in a large number of the inhabitants which still attribute to the Moors and enchanted Mooresses anything remotely connected with antiquity.
Following the Christian Reconquest, the region once again became deserted.
It was subject, proportionate to its small size, to the historic vicissitudes suffered by the Country as a whole: wars, invasions, and devastation. However, certain events were lived in an especially intense way. Such was the case of the incursions by the Kingdom of León during the first years of the nation’s life or the wars with Castile led by King Ferdinand and the subsequent war of independence.
During the French Invasions, pages of heroism were written here. One such page was the famous defence of Amarante’s bridge where General Silveira succeeded in delaying the retreat of General Delaborde’s troops for a few days.

An environmental Paradise

The region is much more rural than urban in nature. Most of the territory is nature – therefore, environment. And, luckily, environment and nature that is not yet polluted. What this means is that you can take a walk in the countryside and reap the benefits of what is expected from this.
The rivers play an important role. The Douro River delimits it to the south, giving the region where it flows such an unsurpassed number of features – landscape, soil utilisation and human occupation – that it is considered as a World Heritage site. A series of tributaries divides the region: the Tua, the Pinhão, the Corgo and the Tâmega.
The Douro River also permits, due to its width and depth, the passage of ships of considerable size, facilitated by the existence of gates in all the dams. Another factor giving character to the landscape is the relief. The region is generally marked by plateaus but there are mountains that here and there rise majestically.
The Serra do Marão (Marão Mountains), a shale colossus 1419 meters high, is the central and most impressive mountain formation. Once you see its mesa profile, you will never forget it. It offers magnificent views and sunsets, depending on the cloudiness and the time of the year.
Halfway up flourishes Campeã Valley, whose fertility belies the popular saying « Great is the Marão but neither straw nor grain does it yield». The Serra do Alvão (Alvão Moutains) is also remarkable. In certain places, it is an impressive collection of granite monoliths, some of great size.

Highland tastes

The gastronomy of the Serra do Marão Tourism Region is one of the region’s most tempting features. Its influence on country cooking is revealed in the fact that it is substantial food, suitable for those working in the fields. Another remarkable feature is the science of seasoning, which includes herbs and intense tastes. The most traditional dishes are made with meat. In the western part of the region, lamb and kid predominate, usually roasted with rice. In Vila Real region, veal is the most popular dish, especially “Maronesa” veal, a native breed with excellent qualities of taste and texture. In the eastern part of the region, “cozido à portuguesa” (Portuguese stew) has a special flavour thanks to the quality of the meat and vegetables used in its preparation. Where there are trout, they play an important role in the local gastronomy. Shad and lamprey swim upstream to the inland waters in the spawning season; one of the strong points of the gastronomy at Marco de Canaveses is precisely lamprey, caught in the Douro and Tâmega rivers. And codfish too is served in creative and delicious ways in this area. We mustn’t forget the soups, always very substantial, enriched with many different types of greens, potatoes, beans, pasta, etc… Some of them stray from this pattern and are truly typical, such as the Basto region chestnut soup. Nor must we forget the sausages – “alheiras” (with breadcrumbs and minced meat), “Mouras” (black pudding), “linguiças” (spicy, garlic- flavoured), “salpicões” (smoked pork), in addition to others of a more local nature – and “bolas de carne” (kind of meat pie).
Associated with a good meal are desserts. Here too, the variety is enormous and delicious. The fact that many of them originated from the local convents is a guarantee of taste and authenticity.
“Leite crème” (custard with a burnt caramel topping), “arroz doce” (rice pudding), and “pão-do-ló” (kind of sponge cake) are in many places common desserts, although they are better than those served in other regions due to the secret ingredients used in their  preparation. There are other possibilities, more typical of certain places in the region: “toucinho do céu” (kind of marzinpan pudding) and “ queijadas “ from Murça (small cottage cheese tartlets), “cavacas” from Sabrosa ( kind of glazed biscuits), “doces de ovos” from Amarante ( sweets made from egg yolks and sugar), all with suggestive names: crochet knit, breezes rockets, angel cheeks…, the “quinzinhos” and “pudim de amêndoa” (almond pudding) from Alijó, “doce da Teixeira”, “doce da prima de Baião”, “falachas de Mesão Frio” (kind of chestnut cakes), “manjar branco” from Santa Marta de Penaguião and certain specialities made by the nuns in Vila Real such as “pastéis de Santa Clara” (tartlets with almond paste filling), “pastéis de toucinho-do-céu” and “tigelinhas de laranja”.
The wine from the region, which is blessed with exceptional conditions for winemaking, runs the entire gamut: table wines, young and mature, dessert wines, even moscatel, aperitif wines, even sparklers! The area bordering on the Minho produces “vinho verde” (literally “green wine”, a reference to youth rather than colour, a refreshing, light and petillant Portuguese wine), as well as mature white and red wines. There, the “enforcado” (tall growing) vine method is still used. This name is given to the cultivation of vines, which are wrapped round large-sized trees, as if they were a climbing plant, such as the aspen lining the waterways and edges of the maize fields. The main production is red wine whit a colour that is as dark as the blood of a bull. It is frequently drunk not in a glass but in earthenware bowls and mugs. The white wine has an open, lemon-juice colour. It is acidic and fresh, “petillant”, ideal for accompanying fish and seafood dishes. In the rest of the region, the wines are fully-aged. The most famous production is that of the Douro wine region, where excellent table wines are made but also what is considered the king of wines and the most legitimate ambassador of Portugal to the world: the wine called Port wine, but which the locals prefer to call a fine or dessert wine. A fine wine from a good year is undoubtedly unforgettable nectar: an old bottle of vintage deserves the same respect as any work of art. The vineyards where it is produced allow many times the visitor not only to taste the harvest, but also in the grape-gathering and pressing.
Alijó and Favaios, in the eastern part of the region, produce muscatels and sparkling completing in this form a wine list with an unusual variety anywhere in the world.