Description Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo

Located in the northeastern quadrant of Portugal, in the heart of the Ribacôa region, the Municipality of Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo is made up of 17 parishes, where a population of about 6260 inhabitants lives. Adjoins the counties of Almeida, Pinhel, V. N. Foz Côa and Freixo de Espada à Cinta; to the east it borders the Spanish province of Salamanca. The three main rivers that limit it are the Douro, Côa and Águeda.

Castelo Rodrigo, one of the most beautiful Historical Villages of Portugal, today also one of the 7 Wonders of Portugal in the category of Authentic Village, the whole set alone forms a beautiful postcard, has in its Palace Cristóvão de Moura one of its greatest ex -libris, stage of great historical acts in the past and great events in the present.

When walking through the streets of Castelo Rodrigo, you must visit the Pelourinho in the 16th century, the Igreja Matriz, the medieval cistern and the vestiges that attest the presence of an important community of New Christians. For more than 600 years, the village was a village and county seat.

Right next door is the towering Serra da Marofa, a breathtaking natural viewpoint. In 1957, a chapel was built in honor of Nossa Senhora de Fátima, which many figueirenses affectionately call “Senhora da Marofa”. Those who go up to Marofa can also appreciate the statue of Cristo Rei, with open arms as if to bless the whole County, they can also admire the Crypt and the Little Chapels with the mysteries of the Rosary.

Another of the county's jewels is the Convent of Santa Maria de Aguiar, built in the 12th century, next to the Aguiar stream, by the primitive community of Benedictines or hermits who joined the Cistercian Order.

A temple where the Romanesque and Gothic styles predominate and where the Patron Saint of the County, Santa Maria de Aguiar, is venerated. A few kilometers further on the right bank of the Aguiar stream, near the intersection of the Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo-Vermiosa road with that of Almofala, we can admire the magnificent monument that is the Roman Temple of Almofala, or Torre das Águia.

In a farm spread over 650 hectares, is the historic and uninhabited village of Colmeal. The diversity of its cultural heritage is revealed in the old houses of shale and granite of the Lusitanian shepherds, in a church of the century. XV and in the rock paintings of the Neolithic period. A perfect setting full of symbolism and history. When traveling to this Municipality, you cannot miss visiting, or even staying overnight, in this place where peace goes hand in hand with nature, where upon waking you can have the chirping of birds as an alarm clock.

Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo has a lot more to offer, and on this tour you cannot fail to visit the paradisiacal place of Barca d'Alva, where the Douro becomes navigable and one of the main ports of entry in the Municipality.

The deep valleys of the Águeda and Côa rivers, the international Douro and its river pier, the Serra da Marofa which offers magnificent views, where the existence of viewpoints, whether natural or built, provides them with a picture of great quality and rare beauty.