Far away, behind the
hills, but ever closer, we find Freixo de Espada a Cinta, a place where geographical
and human allure begins and the country ends. Hills and plateaus rise up, torn
through by a deep river valley that calms and refreshes the view. The almond
blossom paints the slopes white, the orange groves perfume the landscape and
vines announce the Demarcated Port Wine Region. The imposing rocks of the Penedo
Durão, the siliceous stratifications of Candedo, or the cliffs of the Douro in
Lagoaça, Mazouco or Ligares, all compete to make this municipality an exciting
place of life and culture.
Joined at the hip to Spain and hemmed by the Douro, Freixo de Espada à Cinta is the birthplace of Guerra Junqueiro and, they say, the most Manueline municipality in Portugal. But this border region has other charms, some of them rooted in the history and the soul of its people. Being the only municipality on the Iberian Peninsula where silk is still made entirely by hand, is already portentous in itself, but the magnificence of the landscapes, in which the River Douro is a highlight, the lookout points, or the cliffs, are natural talents, which some supreme and generous entity also gave to the people of Freixo.
Small but sweet, the town astounds with its carefully preserved historic centre.
Small but sweet, the town astounds with its carefully preserved historic centre. The Praça Jorge Álvares, punctuated by the statue of this Portuguese navigator, is the drawing room of this place, framing some of the most notable buildings, such as the Parish Church, the Igreja da Misericórdia church and the Torre do Galo, a remnant of the medieval castle. Walking through the historic streets, you can admire the many 16th-century doorways. Next to the Manueline style cross, a cobbled path takes us to the river beach of the Congida (a little piece of paradise).
Freixo brings us the Mirador of Carrascalinho lookout point, in the parish of Fornos, or the Miradouro Penedo Durão lookout point, where the escarpments almost fall straight down to the Douro, the views spread well into Spain and where you can hear the wind and... the silence. In the spring the almond trees dress up in their very finest, perhaps to decorate the tables laden with delicious treats and full-bodied wines... or just to thank their people, simple and hardworking, who seek their future in this grand and dream-like setting.
Joined at the hip to Spain and hemmed by the Douro, Freixo de Espada à Cinta is the birthplace of Guerra Junqueiro and, they say, the most Manueline municipality in Portugal. But this border region has other charms, some of them rooted in the history and the soul of its people. Being the only municipality on the Iberian Peninsula where silk is still made entirely by hand, is already portentous in itself, but the magnificence of the landscapes, in which the River Douro is a highlight, the lookout points, or the cliffs, are natural talents, which some supreme and generous entity also gave to the people of Freixo.
Small but sweet, the town astounds with its carefully preserved historic centre.
Small but sweet, the town astounds with its carefully preserved historic centre. The Praça Jorge Álvares, punctuated by the statue of this Portuguese navigator, is the drawing room of this place, framing some of the most notable buildings, such as the Parish Church, the Igreja da Misericórdia church and the Torre do Galo, a remnant of the medieval castle. Walking through the historic streets, you can admire the many 16th-century doorways. Next to the Manueline style cross, a cobbled path takes us to the river beach of the Congida (a little piece of paradise).
Freixo brings us the Mirador of Carrascalinho lookout point, in the parish of Fornos, or the Miradouro Penedo Durão lookout point, where the escarpments almost fall straight down to the Douro, the views spread well into Spain and where you can hear the wind and... the silence. In the spring the almond trees dress up in their very finest, perhaps to decorate the tables laden with delicious treats and full-bodied wines... or just to thank their people, simple and hardworking, who seek their future in this grand and dream-like setting.
