| Minho | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Region | Northern Portugal |
| Capital | Braga |
Minho is a territory of Northern Portugal.
To know
Praised by poets and writers as the garden of Portugal (O jardim de Portugal), Minho is a historic province which ceased to be an administrative division with the 1976 reform. However, the use of the name has remained in the spoken language and is still very widespread.
What characterizes the region are the very green landscapes due to copious rains which fortunately thin out in the summer months. Thanks to its proximity to the airport of the city of Port, the Minho is a destination for international but above all domestic tourism. Tourists from other regions of the Portugal they are mostly young people headed to Peneda-Gerês National Park which offers them the opportunity to practice various outdoor activities, from camping to rowing.
The ancient province also has a remarkable artistic heritage: Braga is the city with the largest number of works of art followed by Guimarães but each village retains evocative works of the past such as Roman and medieval bridges and romantic ruins of castles erected on the defensive line of the Minho river against the hegemonic aims manifested on several occasions by the kingdom of Castile and after Spain.
Always according to what was reported by Portuguese writers such as José Augusto Vieira and international writers such as Élisée Reclus, the Minho is also distinguished by the friendliness and industriousness of its inhabitants, described as conservatives and lovers of traditions but also cheerful and revelers and subversives in moments of political crisis.
Geographical notes
The province of Minho was bordered to the north by the GaliciaSpanish, to the east with the region of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro and to the south with that of Douro Litoral (The region of Port). To the west it is bathed by the Atlantic Ocean whose thunderous waves crash on the coast called Costa Verde, making it an ideal destination for surfers.
It is a largely rugged territory consisting of low mountain ranges almost all arranged in an east-west direction and perpendicular to the ocean. Between one greenhouse and another there are bucolic valleys crossed by rivers such as the Rio Minho which marks the border with the Spain and rises in the vicinity of Lugo, the Rio Cávado which receives a series of tributaries such as the Rio Homem which rises in the nearby Serra do Gerês.
To the east rise mighty massifs whose peaks reach 1,500 m. like the greenhouses Gerês, Peneda and Soajo, with rugged and rocky landscapes and all falling within the Peneda-Gerês National Park. These massifs form a barrier to the clouds and are responsible for the high rainfall that characterizes the region.
Territories and tourist destinations
Minho: full screen map.We distinguish the following regions:
- Alto Minho - Corresponding to today's district of Viana do Castelo
- Low Minho (Baixo Minho) - Corresponding to today's district of Braga.
- Costa Verde - Tourist term which indicates the whole coast of the northern region of the Portugal. Lesser known and more modest centers overlook the stretch of coast belonging to the Minho, surrounded by vast beaches often magnificent but inadequate for bathing due to the cold waters of the ocean and above all because of the strong waves that hit the shore that act however, it is an attraction for a large group of tourists with the hobby of windsurfing.
Urban centers
Alto Minho
- Arcos de Valdevez - Pretty river village along the road to Serra da Peneda and close to one of the 5 entrances to the national park of the same name.
- Melgaço - Located in the far north of the Portugal, Melgaço boasts a suggestive medieval castle.
- Monção (Monsoon) - A small fortified village on the border line with Spain, famous for producing vinho verde.
- Ponte da Barca - A quiet village on the Lima River so named because boats were used in medieval times to ferry Portuguese pilgrims to the sanctuary of Santiago de Compostela.
- Ponte de Lima - Picturesque town with a grandiose Roman bridge over the Rio Lima, the river of oblivion (Lethes) according to the ancient Romans, as it had the property of erasing the memory of those who had dared to ford it.
- Valença do Minho - Another fortified village on the defensive line of the Minho river and today a railway and motorway transport hub with the GaliciaSpanish.
- Viana do Castelo - Important port at the mouth of the Lima River, Viana do Castelo is an interesting city with medieval monuments and kilometers of beaches in its surroundings.
Low Minho
- Barcelos - City of 120,000 inhabitants with a medieval village and a bridge over the Rio Cávado from the early 13th century that served for the passage of pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela.
- Braga - District capital, Braga it is nicknamed "museum city" thanks to its considerable artistic heritage.
- Guimarães - Ancient capital of the Portucalense county Guimarães it is considered the cradle of the nation Portuguese. Its historic center is included in the list of World Heritage Sites.
Other destinations
Costa Verde
- Afife - Famous for its vast white sand beaches, Afife it has only one hotel but several accommodation options with private individuals.
- Esposende - On a low and sandy stretch of coast set up as a marine park (Parque Natural do Litoral Norte).
- Moledo - Last village on the ocean before the border with the Spain. It has a very beautiful but extremely windy beach.
- Vila Praia de Âncora - On a higher stretch of coast and therefore with the most evocative landscapes.
- Vila do Conde - Forms a single urban agglomeration with the seaside resort of Póvoa do Varzim.
- 1 Cabril - Town on the short emissary of the artificial lake (Albufeira) of Salamonde, famous for its trout fishing which is served in local restaurants.
- 2 Castro Laboreiro - Village in the greenhouse of the same name with the possibility of spectacular hiking on marked trails.
- 3 Gerês - The most popular location in park together with the nearby centers of Rio Caldo is Campo do Gerês, particularly crowded in the months of July-August for the possibility of taking thermal baths and rowing on the artificial lake.
- 4 Montalegre - Town of about 10,000 inhabitants, at the eastern entrance to the park and near the border with Spain. An imposing crenellated castle from the end of the 13th century stands on a rocky spur of 1,000 m, which dominates the course of the Rio Cavado.
- 5 Pitões das Júnias - Traditional village of few souls on the Serra de Montemuro, at an altitude of 1105 m. with ruins of a Cistercian monastery from the 9th century AD (Mosteiro de Santa Maria das Júnias) in a magnificent high mountain landscape.
- 6 Soajo - Village at the foot of the greenhouse of the same name, famous for the presence in its territory of ancient granaries with a particular shape known as espigueiros.
- 7 Vilarinho das Furnas - A village largely submerged by the construction of a 1976 dam on the Cávado River and has since become a tourist attraction. It was located on the ancient Roman road from Braga to Astorga, marked as XVIII in theAntonine itinerary preserved in the Palazzo Venezia of Rome.
How to get
.jpg/220px-CP_592.2_(25338680377).jpg)
By plane
The nearest airport is Francisco Sá Carneiro International Airport Port. Several bus lines provide to connect the airport with the various centers of the region. Particularly frequent are the races for Braga is Guimaraes. To know the times you would do better to download a trip planner rather than consulting the websites of the individual bus lines. If for some reason you prefer to travel by train, you will have to go to the airport at the terminus of line E of the light metro and go to Campanha station with a considerable waste of time.
On the train
The region is crossed by a single railway with two short branches:
- Minho railway (Linha do Minho). The railway originates in Port and ends at Valença. It is connected to the Spanish railway network via a railway bridge over the Minho River so it is possible to go from Port to Vigo (Galicia) in about three hours thanks to the "Celta" international train service.
- The line is electrified only in the first section and in two short branches, the Ramal de Braga and the line of Guimarães, both modernized in 2004 to allow the passage of fast trains. From Braga it is now possible to go up to Lighthouse in about 6 hours with the "Alfa Pendular" pendolino trains (maximum speed 130 km per hour) while from Guimarães you can use trains intercidade from a maximum speed of 100 km per hour.
- At the station Hermesinde the Douro railway comes off (Linha do Douro), famous because it reveals breathtaking views of the valley and surrounding mountains, terraced and planted with vineyards.
- Regional trains are useful for reaching the beaches north of Viana do Castelo (Afife is Vila Praia de Âncora).
How to get around
What see
What to do
At the table
.jpg/220px-Vindima_em_Portugal_(2).jpg)
As to Port, the typical regional dish is cod (bacalhau) prepared in different varieties (bacalhau à Narcisa, bacalhau à Minhota, bacalhau à moda de Braga). Other delicacies, at the description of which some vegetarians will surely be horrified, are duck rice (arroz de Pato), baked in the oven, papas de sarrabulho, similar to black pudding but enriched with various meats, the tripa enfarinhada, the trendy kid from Braga and i rojões à moda do Minho, pork fillets marinated in a mixture of vinho verde, garlic, salt and then browned for a long time and over low heat.
The typical dish of Guimaraes and the bolus, a type of bread (pão) in pizza format garnished with pieces of pork or even sardines. There city it is also famous for the work of its pastry chefs. One of the best known desserts is the Toucinho do céu, a very common dessert also in the neighboring town Spain, made with caramelized egg yolk and sugar, ingredients that give it a characteristic yellow color.
Drinks
The region is internationally famous for the production of Vinho Verde, with a moderate alcohol content and well fruity, considered excellent as an aperitif. There are white, red, rosé varieties and all must be consumed within one year of bottling. The Loureiro tendril is grown in the Lima River Valley while the Alvarinho is common in the Minho River Valley. The countries of Monção is Melgaço are the main producers. Melgaço it houses a museum dedicated to wine and two festivals, one of which (Festa do Alvarinho) falls in April.
