Cities not to be missed

Lamego

Distance: 12 km

Points of interest:

Castle and Medieval Cistern (open to visitors during normal business hours).

Lamego Cathedral, with its medieval tower and interior featuring frescoes by Nicolau Nasoni on the vaults. The cloister stands out with its two chapels (St. Nicholas and St. Anthony), where two monumental altarpieces in gilded woodcarving are located.

The Convent of Santa Cruz is noteworthy for its monumental Mannerist altarpiece, the tiles in the transept attributed to Policarpo Bernades, and the tombs of D. João de Brito Vasconcelos, Bishop of Angra, and, on the north side, D. Manuel Pinto da Fonseca, Bailiff of Acre.

Medieval church of Almacave, linked to the legend of the courts of Lamego.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Exile, with its interior entirely covered in Baroque wood carvings, paintings, tiles, and frescoes, in a design reminiscent of a "total work of art" church.

Church of the former Convent of Chagas. Besides the church, with its painted wooden ceiling and fine examples of wood carving from various periods, a visit to the sacristy is recommended, with its fine Rococo oratory, whose design is reminiscent of the oratory in the sacristy of Lamego Cathedral.

Church of the former convent of St. Francis. It is worth asking to visit the sacristy with its painted coffered ceiling and chest with an oratory.

Visit and tasting at the Raposeira sparkling wine cellars located on the way up to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies.

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies, with its lush forest and staircase of over 600 steps leading from the city's main avenue to the top where the temple is located. The Feast of Our Lady of Remedies takes place on September 6th, 7th, and 8th, one of the largest pilgrimages in Portugal, attracting many people to Lamego to witness the only procession authorized to have its floats pulled by oxcarts. The festivities include a traditional fair.

Among the various manor houses in the city, the Brolhas manor stands out, but there are other very interesting buildings, such as the old Seminary (now the officers' mess in Lamego), the Episcopal Palace (now the Lamego Museum), the Misericórdia hospital (today the Ribeiro Conceição Theatre), or the manor houses of the Padilha, Albergaria, Mores, Carvalho Leitão, Vilhena, Pinheiro de Aragão families, etc.

The Chapel of St. Peter of Balsemão, 1.5 km from Lamego, is one of the churches with the oldest traces of construction in the country. Some place it in the Visigothic period, although it certainly contains evidence of Mozarabic construction in its architecture dating back at least to the 10th century. It has three naves separated by small arches, the triumphal arch being horseshoe-shaped, in addition to the medieval (Gothic) tomb of D. Afonso Pires, Bishop of Porto.

In the Lamego Museum, we highlight the 16th-century panels by Grão-Vasco, belonging to the old altarpiece of Lamego Cathedral, the Flemish tapestries, and the woodcarvings from the chapels of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, originating from the old Convent of Chagas in the city of Lamego.

Viseu and Vila Real

Distance:

Vila Real is approximately 40 km away via the highway.
Viseu is about 65 km away and Vila Real is about 40 km away via the highway.

The old roads, although longer, are nonetheless very beautiful from a landscape perspective. The road to Viseu crosses a plateau to Vila Nova de Paiva, almost without any human presence. The road to Vila Real, with its many curves, runs through the Douro wine-growing landscape and partly through the Corgo river valley.

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