Portugal

356
THE MINHO REGION & TRÁS-OS-MONTES
14
GUIMARAES
you’re likely to hear blaring music—in English, no less. Proud town houses, once the
residences of the nobility, stand beside humble dwellings. The hand-carved balconies,
aged by the years, are most often garnished with iron lanterns (not to mention laundry).
At the end, you’ll come upon a charming square in the heart of the old town, Largo
da Oliveira (Olive Tree Square). Seek out the odd chapelette in front of a church.
Composed of four ogival arches, it’s said to mark the spot where, in the 6th century,
Wamba was asked to give up working his fields to become the king of the Goths. Thrusting
his olive stick into the tilled soil, he declared that he would accept only if his stick
sprouted leaves. So it did, and so he did—or so goes the tale.
The best excursion in the environs is to Penha , 5.5km (31 ⁄2 miles) southeast of the
center of town. At 620m (2,034 ft.), this is the loftiest point in the Serra de Santa Catarina.
Penha can be reached from the end of Rua de Dr. José Sampaio by cable car for 2€
round-trip. The car runs from April to September Monday to Friday 10:30am to 7pm
(Sat–Sun until 8pm). In the off-season, it is open Friday to Sunday and holidays from
10:30am to 6:30pm. Call the Turinpenha at Estação Inferior do Teleférico—Campo das
Hortas 4800-026 Guimarães (& 25/351-50-85).
Dominating the skyline of Guimarães itself is the 10th-century Castle of Guimarães ,
Rua Dona Teresa de Noronha, where Afonso Henríques, Portugal’s first king, was born.
High-pitched crenels top the strategically placed square towers and the looming keep.
The view is panoramic. For more information, contact the staff at the Paço dos Duques
(& 25/341-22-73 or 25/351-72-01). Almost in the shadow of the castle is the squat,
rectangular 12th-century Romanesque Igreja de São Miguel de Castelo, where Afonso
Henríques was baptized. Nearby is a heroic statue of the mustachioed, armor-clad
Afonso, helmeted with sword and shield in hand. The church keeps irregular hours. The
castle (no phone) is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30am to 12:30pm and 2 to
5:30pm (Aug until 7pm). Admission is free unless you visit the panoramic tower, Torre
Demanage, which costs 1.50€.
Igreja de São Francisco The Church of St. Francis contains by far the most dramatic
church interior in town. Entered through a Gothic portal, the spacious interior
is faced with Delft blue-and-white azulejos (tiles) . In the transept to the right of the
main altar is a meticulously detailed miniature re-creation of the living room of a church
prelate, from the burgundy cardinal’s chapeau resting on a wall sconce to the miniature
dog and cat. On the second altar to the right is a polychrome tree of life that represents 12
crowned kings and the Virgin, with her hands clasped and her feet resting on the heads of
three cherubs. Entered through the south transept, the sacristy rests under a beautiful
coffered ceiling decorated with grotesques and a stunning Arrábida marble table.
Largo de São Francisco. & 25/341-24-50. Free admission. Tues–Sat 9:30am–noon and 3–5pm; Sun
9:30am–1pm.
Museu de Alberto Sampaio The Alberto Sampaio Museum is in the Romanesque
cloister and the buildings of the old monastery of the Collegiate Church of Our
Lady of the Olive Branch. Besides a large silver collection, it displays the tunic worn by
João I at the battle of Aljubarrota, which decided Portugal’s fate. There are priestly garments
as well as paintings, ceramics, and medieval sculpture. A fresco illustrates a gloating
Salome, rapturous over the severed head of John the Baptist. In one of the rooms are
pieces from a baroque chapel, with enormous wood-carved angels bearing torches.
Rua Alfredo Guimarães. & 25/342-39-10. www.ipmuseus.pt. Admission 3€, free for children under 14
and for all on Sun mornings. Tues–Sun 10am–midnight. Closed holidays.