By Nigel Wright
Hill top towns and villages always attract tourists. They have great visual appeal, as almost invariably the most beautiful buildings occupy their highest point. Viseu, the capital of Beira Alta province, is one of Portugal’s finest examples of an ancient hill top town. Its granite cathedral sits benignly astride the summit and narrow pedestrianised streets with charming eighteenth century town houses radiating in all directions. Taking advice from one of the many friendly local residents, we explored the compact old town centre by approaching on foot from the Praça da República (the Rossio), the modern town plaza to the south, where parking is available. The route climbs up through a splendid original gate set into the town walls, to reach a magnificent square where the rather austere front of the cathedral faces the eye-catching Igreja da Misericórdia, with its stunning white baroque exterior.
Our first stop, however, was the old Bishop’s Palace adjoining the cathedral, which houses the Museu de Grão Vasco with its several galleries of fine paintings. Its greatest exhibits are the works of Vasco Fernandes (known as Grão Vasco), Portugal’s most celebrated exponent of 16th Century religious art. We particularly admired his great masterpiece, a majestic portrait of São Pedro seated on his throne. Just around the corner is the Praça de Dom Duarte, named after the Portuguese monarch (brother of Prince Henry the Navigator) who was born in Viseu. At its centre stands a regal statue of the King, and we lunched under his vigilant gaze before exploring the Rua Direita, the town’s most appealing street. It probably dates back to Roman times and its lively melée of shops, souvenir stalls and restaurants make it a perfect route of descent back to the Rossio.
 Beautiful example of a classic vintage car |  |
Dão Wine Region
The rural region around Viseu lies roughly half way between Porto and Coimbra, nestling in an undulating landscape of lush pine forests and crystal clear rivers. The Dão River, a tributary of the larger Mondego River, is the focal point of an enchanting area where vines have been cultivated for over 2,000 years. After exploring many pretty villages using the ‘wine routes’ brochure provided by the tourist information centre in Viseu, we stopped in the delightful village of Santar. Here we sampled (before purchasing) some of the region’s velvety red wines at Paço das Cunhas, a tastefully preserved building, once a prison, but now a high quality restaurant, wine bar and entertainment centre.
Mangualde is a town close to Viseu with many attractive buildings. Sadly, on a Saturday morning in the middle of the tourist season, the town’s information centre and all these magnificent buildings were closed to visitors. This was a terrible shame as Mangualde has such a wonderful architectural heritage. Nearby, however, we discovered one splendid, ancient structure that was both open to tourists and all the elements! It was the ‘Anta de Cunha Baixa’, a robust 5,000 year-old megalithic granite dolmen. It is a National Monument and attractively situated in an open valley by the lovely Castelo River. This is a place to picnic and muse upon the lives of the generations of long ago!
Toys for Boys
The Serra de Caramulo is one of Portugal’s most exceptional mountain ranges and only an hour’s drive from Viseu. The switchback mountain road winds upwards through an exquisite pine and sweet chestnut forest dotted with small vineyards. Caramulo town, with its old sanatoriums and art deco buildings, is tucked beneath the granite outcrops of the high serra and has extensive views of the surrounding countryside. After sampling a delicious Pastel de Caramulo (a local pastry made from sweet chestnuts), we visited the town’s famous museum. It has an outstanding exhibition of art stretching from the Greco-Roman period to the present time, including works by Salvador Dali and Picasso. However, the main attraction is the ultimate ‘toys for boys’ collection of 65 classic vintage cars – everything from an 1899 Peugeot to Dr. Salazar’s bullet proof Mercedes. The displays in this unique museum are entirely made up of individual gifts and are a remarkable tribute to the generosity of the donors.
 The ‘Anta de Cunha Baixa’ – a robust 5,000 year-old dolmen. | |
The road continues upwards from the town into a misty, magical world full of unexpected surprises and magnificent views. Caramulinho, the highest point of the Serra do Caramulo at 1075m, can be reached by a short climb from the top car park. The mountain range, originally populated by the Romans, has many marked paths and is popular with ramblers. Lush green fields lie picturesquely below the hilltops and are tended by the hardy folk who live in the area’s ancient villages. We lingered awhile in the remote community of Bazereira, to admire the simple granite dwellings with their tiny religious shrines and their granaries – tall, thin structures perched on sturdy stone legs. This is a harsh living environment and everything is carefully constructed to provide maximum protection against the winter storms.
Other Attractions
Viseu is well placed as a centre from which to make excursions into the Serra da Estrela, Portugal’s highest mountain range, or north towards
 Granary in the high Serra de Caramulo. | |
Lamego and the Douro valley. We chose to drive east to the medieval walled town of Trancoso, another fascinating hilltop destination with a long history. The atmospheric cobbled streets of the old town lie below the ancient castle, and boast wrought-iron balconies and handsome stone porches. There is much evidence of a sizeable Jewish community, acquired following the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in the 15th century.
Our accommodation was a very comfortable, well-equipped, self-catering apartment at Quinta São Domingos (www.quintasaodomingos.com) in picturesque surroundings in the peaceful little village of Guimarães, just outside Viseu. It made the perfect base for exploration of this lovely area of Portugal and a bottle of the Dão region’s celebrated ‘Grão Vasco’ wine made the ideal accompaniment to dinner in one of the very reasonably priced local restaurants.
