| ABOUT CENTRO DE PORTUGAL |
| The Centro de Portugal is full of warm hospitality, offering visitors genuine village tourism. The charm of the people is to be seen in the authenticity of their rituals, and their popular religious festivities, such as Easter. It is also found in their cuisine, with its cheeses, sausages and mountain honey. |
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 | Aveiro: on board of a typical “moliceiro” boat along the Ria waters, by BUGA (Aveiro free bikes) or simply on foot through the paths of Art |
| Nouveau or of Contemporary Architecture – Aveiro University. |
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| Bucaco Luso Curia: These localities are famous for their gastronomy, especially the renowned roasted suckling pig and wine production, either table wine or sparkling wine. |  |
| This region is known as Bairrada, combining gastronomy with a century-old tradition of thermal stations. Some of the most appealing Portuguese thermal stations can be found here, such as Termas da Curia, north form Mealhada, andTermas do Luso, in the middle of the hill of Bucaco Mountain. Your visit should also include the breathtakingBussaco Forest with its century-old trees, extremely rare species. |
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| Coimbra: One of Europe’s most ancient university cities has plenty to offer: century-old University of Coimbra, Joanine Library, the magnificent Botanical Garden, Santa |  |
| Cruz Monastery. It is a modern city with exciting icons such as Mondego Green Park, Pedro & Ines pedestrian bridge and several cool shops. |
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| Viseu: is a region of Dao wine and a rich gastronomy steadily dominated by the creativity of a new generation of chefs. In the surrounding area of Viseu, you can’t possibly miss Caramulo Car Museum. |
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| Serra da Estrela: is Portugal's highest peak and you have a multiplicity of landscapes, such as Serra da Estrela Nature Park and the glacial valleys of |  |
| Zezere, Loriga and Unhais da Serra. In this region, you'll find a wide range of hotels and pousadas that stand out for their quality in a remarkable landscape setting. |
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 | Tejo Internacional: Here nature is sovereign and you can enjoy truly unique wild landscapes. Visit Termas de Monfortinho which offers exceptional |
| waters along with the most modern hydrotherapy techniques. |
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| Cherry Paths: The city of Fundao stands out for the enormous quality of a unique product: the cherry, the main ingredient of the Cherry Festival which occurs annually in June. Fundao offers countless events throughout the year, such as the Transhumance Festival - Chocalhos. |
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| Historical Villages: are absolutely unique and inviting! Discover them: Almeida, Belmonte, Castelo Mendo, Castelo Novo, Castelo Rodrigo, Idanha-a-Velha, Linhares da Beira, |  |
| Marialva, Monsanto, Piodao, Sortelha e Trancoso. |
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| Whether you want to experience Portugal’s breath-taking landscapes, its historic fortresses, or the warmth of its people, the villages offer it all. |
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 | Schist Villages: Discover the breathtaking Schist Village and twenty four villages scattered across the Centre of Portugal: a land of immense beauty |
| offering unique experiences. Whether it's the food, accommodation, cultural events or simply arts & crafts you're after, you'll find the network of Schist Villages offering you products and services by professionals of excellence. You'll find the purest, unspoiled river beaches, monuments, castles, and museus to visit. |
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| Border castles: The frontier castles have stood since the birth of the Portuguese nation. There’s so much to enjoy: from the castles of Alfaiates, Sortelha, Vilar Maior, Sabugal, Castelo Mendo, Castelo Bom, |  |
| Castelo Rodrigo, Penamacor, Monsanto and Pinhel, to the fortress of Almeida. |
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| MUST VISIT |
BIOLOGICAL PARK OF SERRA DA LOUSA
Serra da Lousa offers authentic landscapes and historic monuments along with excellent facilities for adventure sports or for just enjoying nature. |
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| In winter, it snows in the Serra da Estrela hills offering an alternative range of activities, from traditional skiing to the more recent phenomenon of snowboarding. |
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| Come to the Biological Park of Serra da Lousa that has a lot to offer you: a learning farm, a wild life park, a rose park and much more! Bring your friends along! |
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BUSSACO NATIONAL FOREST
The most beautiful forest in Portugal, for sure! |
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| This is the perfect scenery for a walk with your soul mate, surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of charismatic forest Mata Nacional do Bussaco containing about 700 tree |  |
| exotic and local tree species. At the heart of this forest, you will find a jewel of Portuguese architecture and History:Palace Hotel do Bussaco. |
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TERMAS DE MONFORTINHO
Situated in an absolutely paradise-like place, Termas de Monfortinho will seduce you completely. Surrender to the several wellness |  |
| programmes and take the chance to visit the remarkable surrounding area: Historical Villages of Monsanto and Idanha-a-Velha, Geopark Naturtejo or Natural Park of Tejo Internacional. |
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 | ILHAVO MARITIME MUSEUM
is one of the most outstanding museums of Centro de Portugal! This amazing museum tells the story of high sea fishing in the |
| Newfoundland and in Greenland, as well as in the "ria" of Aveiro. The Sea Room presents an interesting collection of nautical instruments and miniatures of ancient boats. |
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| SAINT MARY'S CHURCH in Covilha is a true masterpiece of this city, beautifully located at the foothill of Serra da Estrela. The facade is covered by beautiful tiles |  |
| depicting life scenes of the Virgin Mary. Absolutely magnificent!. |
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| VILA COVA DO ALVA This is a noble village with an outstanding dignity, famous for its beautiful buildings, its welcoming people and its public spaces. The limpid river |
| that calmly flows in the distance is a reason of joy and pleasure, along with the freshness and the surrounding beauty. The river beach is particularly appealing in summer time. |
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| DID YOU KNOW |
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| √ | Turismo de Portugal wins Today’s Traveller Award 2013 for ‘Outstanding International Showcase of Art & Culture’
“Outstanding International Showcase of Art & Culture" Award was presented to Turismo de Portugal at the "Today's Traveller Award 2013 held in New Delhi. The award was presented by Mr. Oscar Fernandes, Honorable Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India and Mr. Ramesh Sippy who is one of India's leading film producer. |
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| UPCOMING EVENTS |
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CARAMULO MOTORFESTIVAL
Friday, 6th – Sunday, 8th September, 2013 |
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| The Caramulo Motor festival is the first big event dedicated to classic sport automobiles and motorcycles in Portugal that combine the competition side, rally and a hillclimb, with |  |
| a vast number of other events such as the automobile fair, the Luso-Caramulo Historic Rally. The event will take place in the center of Portugal, Caramulo – capital of the Portuguese classic automobile – it is considered an international event, attracting pilots, participants and exhibitors from various countries. |
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CHOCALHOS - TRANSHUMANCE FESTIVAL
Friday, 13th – Sunday, 15th September, 2013 |
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| From September 13th to 15th, the charming village of Alpedrinha will host Chocalhos – Transhumance Festival that will fill this village with Mediterranean sounds. There will be |  |
| workshops, exhibits and conversations involving shepherds' universe and secrets made of wool. |
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SKY ROAD ALDEIAS DO XISTO
Saturday, 12th October, 2013 |
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| The Granfondo SKY ROAD Schist Villages is a road bike event, designed for all cycling enthusiasts. It's an |  |
| endurance challenge, given its distance (approximately 150 km) and its cumulative gap (approximately 3,500 m), simulating a mountain stage of one of the big races. The basis of this event type "GranFondo," the SPIRIT ULTRA aims to bring sports to Portugal is to give all athletes the experience of living the sensations of a real mountain stage, supported by an appropriate logistics for this event. |
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MISCAROS - MUSHROOM FESTIVAL
Friday, 15th – Sunday, 17th November, 2013 |
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| The Mushroom Festival Miscaros will be held from November 15th to 17th in Alcaide, in Fundao council. There will be workshops, handicraft, gastronomy, local products' |  |
| presentation, concerts and much more! Culinary fans are free to join the workshops and watch live cooking sessions led by renowned chefs in the main square while adrenaline junkies abseil down the clock tower of the church. |
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| A TASTE OF CENTRO DE PORTUGAL |
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| Centro de Portugal is home to some of the best-loved specialties in Portuguese cuisine. |
| Start on a highpoint in Centro de Portugal cooking: Bairrada suckling pig accompanied by a regional sparkling wine. The coastline provides fresh shellfish and fish, often served up as ‘caldeirada’ stews and the bread based ‘ensopado’. Such dishes are also prepared with freshwater fish from the |  |
| region’s many rivers and lakes, all well accompanied by a glass or two of Bairrada white wine. |
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 | Smoked meats common to inland regions include 'maranhos', the rice based black pudding 'morcelas de arroz,' among many others. Each has their own distinctive taste usually |
| rendered by a particular combination of herbs and spices. |
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| There are certified producers of the famous Serra da Estrela, Castelo Branco, Alcains andRabacal cheeses. Soft or cured, |  |
| they are all excellent. Of the sweets, we would suggest the eggy sweet ‘ovos moles de Aveiro’ and ‘pao-de-lo de Ovar’ sponge cake. Both are certain crowd pleasers. |
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| ENHANCE YOUR PORTUGAL TOURS |
| For this month, we have provided a few ideas to enhance your tour itineraries for Centro de Portugal: |
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| Bike tours in Serra do Caramulo:Serra do Caramulo mountain is enchanting and one of the best ways to discover it is to engage in an |  |
| exciting bike expedition full of adrenaline! You won't stop riding your bike! |
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 | SPA: The Centro de Portugal was favored by the Romans for the purity of its waters and it was that here they built spas for the treatment of bodily and spiritual ailments. The spas of Sao Pedro do Sul, Curia, Luso |
| and Monfortinho are the most well known. All of these spa towns also provide complementary entertainment and activities, both in the towns themselves and in the surrounding countryside. |
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| Birdwatching In Granja De Sao Pedro: A lot of birds are waiting for you to come along: black storks, black wheatears, griffon vultures, harrier eagles, woodchat shrikes. |  |
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 | Trekking In Serra Da Estrela:Serra Da Estrela mountain is the place to be for a trekking expedition. Climbing the mythical “Cantaro Magro” is worth highlighting for all |
| the surrounding landscape, absolutely breathtaking! |
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Walking in Quinta Das Lagrimas Gardens: Portugal's most romantic place!
No other place in Portugal is so deeply charged with love as Quinta das |  |
| Lagrimas in Coimbra, where the forbidden love of Pedro and Ines took place. This was an enormous, but also tragic love. Take a walk in the gardens that have witnessed Portugal's History most famous love and let yourself be seduced by the magic of the Love Fountain. |
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 | Curia Golf: Designed by Jorge Santana da Silva, Curia Golf Club is an executive 9-hole golf course, located a high quality thermal station that |
| benefits from a recognized historical legacy. It is 20 km away from the cities of Coimbra and Aveiro. |
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| Paragliding: Linhares da Beira, a small village in the heart of the Serra da Estrela mountain range, offers paragliding trips that will stay with you forever. Take deep breaths of these pure airs and stroll the Serra da Estrela |  |
| Natural Park. Roam the glacial valleys and lakes and visit the picturesque source of the Mondego river. |
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| STAY UPDATED |
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| √ | The University of Coimbra, the uptown ("Alta") and Sofia were classified by UNESCO as World Heritage sites. |
| √ | Quinta de Bispos was awarded European Union Eco-Label becoming the first Rural Hotel that has won this prize, which means respect for the environment through sustainable procedures, the usage of photovoltaic modules and the efficient management of energy and water. |
| √ | Discover Coimbra on board of an environmentally friendly mini-bus. Coimbra’s electric mini-bus called |  |
| | "Slippers" is an excellent option for discovering the city centre. |
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