Portugal

The Minho Region &
Trás-os-Montes
The Minho, in the verdant northwest
corner of Portugal, is almost a land
unto itself. The region begins some 40km
(25 miles) north of Porto and stretches to
the frontier of Galicia, in northwest Spain.
In fact, Minho and Galicia and their people
are strikingly similar. The regions share
a Celtic background.
Granite plateaus undulate across the
countryside, broken by the green valleys of
the Minho, Ave, Cávado, and Lima rivers.
For centuries, the region’s bountiful granite
quarries have been emptied to build everything
from the great church facades in Braga
and Guimarães to the humblest village cottages.
Green pastures contrast sharply with
forests filled with cedars and chestnuts.
The small size of the district and the
proximity of the towns make it easy to hop
from hamlet to hamlet. Even the biggest
towns—Viana do Castelo, Guimarães,
and Braga—are provincial in nature. You’ll
sometimes see wooden carts in the streets,
drawn by pairs of dappled and chocolatebrown
oxen. These noble beasts are
depicted on the pottery and ceramics for
which the Minho (especially Viana do
Castelo) is known.
Religious festas are occasions that bring
people out into the streets for days of celebrations,
including folk songs, dances,
and displays of traditional costumes. The
women often wear woolen skirts and festively
decorated aprons with floral or geometric
designs. Their bodices are pinned
with golden filigree and draped with layers
of heart- or cross-shape pendants.
The Minho was the cradle of Portuguese
independence. From here, Afonso
Henríques, the first king, made his plans
to capture the south from the Moors.
Battlemented castles along the frontier are
reminders of the region’s former hostilities
with Spain, and fortresses still loom above
the coastal villages.
Porto (see chapter 13) is the air gateway
to the Minho. A car is the best way to see
the north if you have only a short time; if
you depend on public transportation, you
can visit some of the major centers by bus
and rail.
The far northeast province of Portugal
is a wild, rugged land—Trás-os-Montes,
or “beyond the mountains.” Extending
from south of the Upper Douro at
Lamego, the province stretches north to
Spain. Vila Real is its capital. Rocky crests
and deep valleys break up the high plateau,
between the mountain ranges of Marão
and Gerês. Most of the population lives in
the valleys, usually in houses constructed
from shale or granite. Much of the plateau
is arid land, but swift rivers and their
tributaries supply ample water, and some
of the valleys have fertile farmland. The
Tâmega River Valley is known for the
thermal springs found there as far back as
Roman days.
This land is rich in history and tradition,
offering the visitor a new world to
discover, from pre-Roman castles to pillories
and interesting old churches. The
inhabitants are of Celtic descent, and most
speak a dialect of Galician.
You can reach Trás-os-Montes by train
from Porto. Service is to Régua, not far
from Lamego, which serves as a gateway
into the province in the Pais do Vinho,
14