The locale known as Braga was established by the early Celtic tribes that dominated the Iberian Peninsula until it was overrun by the Romans in 250 BC. The Romans named the town Bracara Augusta, which became the capital of the province of Gallaecia. The province stretched all the way into Spain. The town was the intersection of five Roman roads that made the town flourish due to commerce and trade. The Suevi invaded and overtook Braga in 410 AD until the Visigoth hordes led by Theodore II overthrew the Suevi sixty years later. The introduction of Christianity and the embrace of this religion by the Visigoths pushed Braga to Christendom’s forefront. An archbishopric was established in the next century in the town itself making it one of the foremost cities in the world for Christianity. (more…)
Castelo, or Viana do Castelo is located between the sea, the river and the mountains. The city is located on the Lima Estuary, surrounded by hills that can be pictured from atop a mountain, the Monte de Santa Luzia. The choices between the sandy beach with the differing horizons of the mountain and the Atlantic have become a haven for tourists and visitors alike throughout the years. (more…)
Located at the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula, Salema is considered as Land’s End of Europe. The setting seems so, with vertical cliffs rising hundreds of feet from the ocean to a dry flatland. The town was considered as such before the Age of Discovery, led by Christopher Columbus’ historic voyage to the Far East. Followed by Prince Henry the Navigator, a school for maritime voyage was set up in the village of Sagres to prepare sailors for their voyages far into the unknown. (more…)
Quarteira is located twenty-three kilometers west of Faro and is 307 kilometers south east of Lisbon, the country’s capital. The climate of the locale is warm all throughout the year and has a coastline of beaches embracing the Atlantic. This was once a slow and sleepy village of fisher folk between the bustling cities of Albufeira and Faro. This was the in between haven of artists and locals trying to get away from the tourist populated areas beside the Quarteira. (more…)
Ferragudo is a small town on the Algarve that lives simply and is simply beautiful. The first settlement in the known area of Ferragudo was a fortified hamlet under the supervision and control of the nearby town of Silves. When the Moors invaded the Algarve, it also took possession of Ferragudo. Upon the liberation of the Algarve, Ferragudo was declared to be a town that prospered until the great earthquake of 1755 that left most of Portugal leveled. (more…)
Peniche is found in the Western Portuguese region, approximately 90 km north of Lisbon. With its Mediterranean climes, the hot summers and the mild winters are constant weather patterns with low amounts of rain peppered throughout the year. Peniche on the other hand experiences the lowest temperature all year round because of the sea. Peniche is a beachfront community and city in Portugal with a population of over 28,000 in an area covering 78 square kilometers. The city is composed of six parishes namely Ajuda, Atouguia de Baleia, Conceicao, Ferrel, Sao Pedro and Serra d’El-Rei. There are two main areas of Peniche is the city proper and the seaside community of Baleal. (more…)
Coimbra Portugal is one of the oldest cities in the central area of Portugal. The city was the very first capital of Portugal and is situated in an area overlooking the river Montego. The main part of the city is the Universidade de Coimbra, which was established in the 13th century. These are not the only sites available for tourists in the city but there are so much more to offer. (more…)
Many have extolled the virtues of Sintra in the region of Extremadura in Portugal. Over the ages, writers, poets and travelers have showered praise on the beauty and natural virtue of the borough throughout history. One of the earliest writings about the region was made by the Arab geographer Al-Bacr then later by the literary poets Luis de Camoes and Lord Byron. Lord Byron has described as “the most pleasing in Europe” because of its history, environs and archaeological aesthetics. The poet Afonso Lopes Vieira described Sintra in these words, “In all the land of Portugal, the whole expanse of Europe, Sintra stands out as one of the loveliest, rarest places that Nature’s prodigious hand has created.” The English poet Robert Southey declares Sintra as “the most bless spot on the whole inhabitable gold.” Now it is one of the must go to places when you are in Portugal for a getaway or to start a new life again. (more…)
Alentejo is located in the south central region in Portugal. The original name is Alem-Tejo that is translated into either “beyond the Tagus” or “across the Tagus”. This large region is separated from mainland Portugal by the Tagus River extending far into the southern region towards the Algarve. The region is further divided into sub-regions namely the Alto Alentejo or High Region, The Baixo Alentejo or Lower Region, the Alentejo Central, the Alentejo Litoral and Leziria do Tejo. There are two mountain ranges in the region that are its highest peaks, namely Sao Mamede and Osa. Also located in the region is the Guadiana, the largest river in all of Portugal that acts as a natural border between the two countries on the Iberian Peninsula. (more…)
Praia da Rocha means Rock Beach in Portuguese. The hottest place in Portugal is a quick fifty-minute drive from Faro and is located between Portimao and Alvor. What was initially a quiet peaceful town became a boomtown resort in the early 1960s with the opening of the Faro International Airport and the popularity of the Algarve’s beachfront climate. The development of Praia da Rocha went full swing in the 1970s with the real estate development in the area. The beachfront was also extended when the nearby estuary was dredged up and the sand was pumped out and transferred to the beachfront area to create the best beaches in the region. (more…)