Is this Portugal’s most authentic village?
The little town has survived invasion and the ravages of time to preserve its medieval heritage, evident at every turn.
As I drive east through the Beira Baixa countryside into a tranquil valley strewn with enormous boulders, I finally see it, sitting grandly at the top of a crumbling hill, almost 750m above sea level. This is Mons Sanctus, the Holy Mount. Monsanto, as it is known today, is just more than 24km from Spain, but has the distinction of being Portugal’s “most Portuguese village”. The title was bestowed by the Estado Novo regime in 1938 to romanticise and preserve village and agricultural life, and the accolade still stands, with the ancient village having changed little over the decades, due in no small part to some extraordinary town planning.
This “rock village” was built among the boulders of the mountain. Traditional terracotta roofs are, in part, replaced by massive granite rocks (known locally as barrocais), some weighing more than 180 tonnes. The streets twist like rabbit warrens in their shadows, even sometimes going past, under and through the giant stones. One street passes two huge boulders leaning against each other; it’s a surreal scene, particularly when two locals sit beneath to have their lunch.
I begin my visit at the Baluarte viewpoint, where three large cannons have protected the town for 300 years. Given its strategic location, Monsanto was a target for invasion over the centuries, held by the Romans and Moors (among others) before the Knights Templar had a castle constructed there in the 12th century. Standing sentry over the village, this formidable granite fortress could be straight from a fantasy novel – no wonder, then, that it took a star turn as the Targaryen ancestral home, Dragonstone, in the HBO hit series House of the Dragon.
According to Andreia de Brito, founder and managing director of local heritage tour company Porta Raiana, the castle’s appearance in the Game of Thrones prequel has increased tourism to Monsanto. “But when visitors do come they are more astonished by the landscape and the peace of the place than by anything else,” she says.
The sense of calm is palpable on my walk through the village of just 800 or so people, following the higgledy-piggledy, cobbled streets past stone cottages, their doorsteps arranged with potted plants, which elderly women dressed in floral pinafores tend diligently, chatting away to one another in rapid Portuguese.
Sleepy Monsanto can feel like something of a living museum; many of the properties I encounter are etched with the signs of a former role in the village’s past. The House of Fernando Namora, for example, proudly declares that a prominent Portuguese doctor and writer once lived there. Later, on Rua de Santo Antonio, an engraving of crossbones and a skull, along with the Latin inscription Cogita Mortem (“Think about death”), marks the house of Monsanto’s one-time executioner. On Rua Marques da Graciosa, I peer into the Artesanato craft store, full of locally made dolls. A local custom, these mouthless, earless, eyeless white dolls are wrapped in Portuguese folk costumes and, as the shopkeeper tells me, act as a fertility symbol, traditionally given to newlyweds on their wedding night.
During May’s Festa da Divina Santa Cruz, local women bring these dolls to the castle for a lively celebration of song and dance, praying for fertility. I am too early for the May festivities, but freshly baked pastries prove hard to resist. I follow sweet aromas to Taverna Lusitana, a snack bar serving cherry custard tarts, as well as plenty of regional cheese, chourico (spicy pork sausage), and bottles of dark Lusitana beer. Joao Roque, the owner, moved here 14 years ago from Lisbon.
“Settling down here was like an old dream that came true, because Monsanto is a holy mountain, a sacred place,” he says. What does he think of living in the country’s most Portuguese village? “I am proud to live here and I want to protect the village’s prestigious titles because they are an honour. It is a big responsibility to keep Monsanto old and attractive.”
There is hope, indeed, with building restrictions in Monsanto having allowed the village to retain its uniquely medieval charm, plus the relative lack of people, both locals and tourists, certainly emphasises the sense of peace. On one final stroll up to the castle ramparts, I look down on this quiet countryside community. It’s a glimpse into the past, and how so many of Portugal’s rural villages used to be bastions of local traditions, their streets steeped in history, and sanctuaries of calm. What others have lost, Monsanto has managed, thankfully, to hold on to.
IN THE KNOW
Taverna Lusitana Monsanto is a guesthouse with a snack bar and two ensuite studio rooms (one sleeps two; the other, four) from €80 ($134) a night with breakfast, twin-share. The easiest ways to reach Monsanto are to fly direct from London to Porto or Lisbon or book with Qatar from its Australian ports to Lisbon via Doha. Hire a car to drive to Monsanto, which takes about three hours from either the capital or Porto in the direction of Castelo Branco.
MORE TO THE STORY
More Portuguese villages to explore
Almeida
One of the designated 12 Historical Villages of Portugal (along with Monsanto), this village is set within a vast, 12-pointed fortification built to defend the country from the Spanish border, about 8km away. Be sure to explore the two churches, Baroque palaces, the impressive clock tower and Double Gates of Saint Francis.
Stay:Casa Do Ti Messias is a two-bedroom holiday home in the Almeida fort with a terrace. From about $150.
Monsaraz
A favourite among artists, who adore the whitewashed buildings along Rua Direita, the Alentejo village of Monsaraz (pictured) is one of the oldest settlements in southern Portugal. It’s a snapshot of rural Portugal for visitors who come for fine food, traditional crafts and the sweeping views of olive groves and the Alqueva dam.
Stay: Nearby Sao Lourenco do Barrocal, a member of Leading Hotels of the World, has luxurious yet rustic farmhouse-inspired rooms and cottages. Rooms from about $632; cottages from $1330.
Tancos
On the banks of the Tagus River, an hour from Leiria, this charming little village is all terracotta roofs and whitewashed buildings trimmed with primrose-yellow borders. Don’t miss the church of Our Lady of Conceicao, with its grand Renaissance portico, and the Castle of Almourol on the nearby island.
Stay:Quinta Ribeiro Tanquinhos is a country guesthouse with four guestrooms, outdoor swimming pool, garden and terrace. Rooms from about $125.
Mertola
Set above the Rio Guadiana, this fortified village is crowned by an imposing castle. Its earliest days have links with the Phoenicians, who founded a port here, and the Romans, who named the town Myrtilis lulia. This village houses several small museums within its walls, including Casa Romano, which exhibits artefacts from a Roman house.
Stay: Nearby Hotel Museu takes its name from its own museum and offers picturesque views. Rooms from about $100.
Lamas de Olo
Mostly home to shepherds and farmers, this lofty spot, at about 1000m above sea level, is in the lush surrounds of Alvao Natural Park’s prime hiking territory. But the village is perhaps
best known for its thatched roofs, granite houses and watermill.
Stay:Borralha Hotel, less than 20 minutes away by road, has 30 guestrooms, an outdoor pool, and spa with Turkish bath. Rooms from about $150.
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