Vila Real, Portugal

Vila Real, perched above a cliff, protects majestic homes with coats of arms, Manueline windows, and typical wrought-iron balconies.

It is a historic city situated at the junction of the Rivers Corgo and Cabril, surrounded to the west by the Alvão and Marão Mountains and to the south by the Serra de Montemuro. It is an inland city with a waterfront avenue that spans a deep ravine where the River Corgo flows.

The city’s main thoroughfare, Avenida Carvalho Araújo, is surrounded by traditional cobblestone walkways and leads to the 19th century Town Hall structure at one end. The Gothic Cathedral is a short distance away, as is the Tourist Office, which is housed in a 16th century home with Manueline windows.

Continue walking between Avenida Carvalho Araújo and the waterfront avenue, via majestic homes and shopping lanes, to reach Vila Real’s liveliest and most typical neighbourhood. The Misericórdia Church and the Clérigos Church, the latter a masterwork by Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni, are both located here. Take a look at the iron railings on the balconies and the granite-framed windows that constitute a gallery of authentic Portuguese civic architecture.

Vila Real is well-positioned to explore the little-visited Parque Natural da Serra do Alvao, with its green valleys and towering mountains, from where good views can be had from the Miradouro de tras-do-cemiterio.

Vila Real’s strategic location at the crossroads of the Douro Valley and Trás-os-Montes provinces in the heart of northern Portugal has helped it to play an essential part in the region’s economy over the ages.

It was the first town in Portugal to install electricity in 1895.

The church of São Pedro in Rua da Portela, built-in 1528, has a beautiful Baroque façade and an interior decorated with rare 17th-century azulejo glazed tiles.

The Dominican monastery of São Domingos, built for King João I in 1427, is all that survives of the town’s centrally positioned Gothic church.

The ancient rock temple of Panóias, located 5 kilometres north-east of Vila Real, was where the Romans sacrificed animals to their gods.

Bisalhães, a small village 6 kilometres to the west, is well-known for its distinctive black and dark-grey pottery, which is coloured by wood smoke during slow firing. These durable pots are used for storing oil and olives, transporting water, and cooking.

The Solar de Mateus, located barely 3 kilometres from Vila Real, is one of Portugal’s most well-known country manor residences. The house, which was built in the 18th century and belonged to the Count of Vila Real, appears on the label of every bottle of Mateus Rosé wine.