Serra da Estrela
Serra da Estrela
A breathtaking landscape that invites you to explore slowly, taking your time, discovering the winding paths, the boulders, the crags, the rocks, the viewpoints, the rivers, the lagoons, the river beaches, the flocks and the shepherds who have been herding the sheep for hundreds of years.
The Serra da Estrela is the largest natural park in Portugal, a marvel of nature reaching almost 2000 meters in altitude and stretching across more than 100,000 hectares of pristine landscape.
A NATURAL PARK AND A GEOPARK
The Serra da Estrela mountain range is part of Portugal's largest Natural Park, a protected landscape of immense ecological, aesthetic, and cultural value. It's a breathtaking setting, with winding paths, rocky outcrops, viewpoints, valleys, plateaus, rivers, lagoons, river beaches, and flocks of sheep herded by shepherds for centuries. This magical mountain range is home to mountain and pastoral villages, historic villages, and ancient castles. Classified as a UNESCO Global Geopark, it covers 2216 km² and boasts a highly varied landscape shaped by geological phenomena, climatic contrasts, and ancient human occupation, making the Serra da Estrela a place of great contrasts and profound natural and cultural richness.
Penhas Douradas
Take a deep breath! You are at an altitude of 1500 meters. Let your gaze wander across the vast horizons… Penhas Douradas is the first mountain resort in Portugal. The town originated in the 19th century as a health resort, contemporary with Davos, Switzerland, where we find, intact, the original Chalets and Sanatoriums of that time, with a unique sanatorium architecture, facing east, with their healing galleries, and which are now Classified Heritage.
The air is fresh and pure, the silence is absolute. It is considered the healthiest place in Portugal.
Casa das Penhas Douradas is heir to this tradition.
The air is fresh and pure, the silence is absolute. It is considered the healthiest place in Portugal.
Casa das Penhas Douradas is heir to this tradition.
HISTORIC VILLAGES AND ANCIENT CASTLES
The Historic Villages of Serra da Estrela are living testimonies to centuries of history, culture, and tradition, constituting a unique architectural heritage. Nestled between mountains and valleys, preserved within walls, these villages enchant with their authenticity, featuring ancient castles, old granite houses, communal ovens, Visigothic churches, and legends passed down through generations. Visiting these villages is to immerse oneself in a rich past, a journey to the Middle Ages, where every corner tells a story.
Mountain Villages and Local Traditions
Mountain Villages are a collection of beautiful villages located in the Serra da Estrela mountain range, characterized by a natural mountain landscape that has remained unchanged over time, traditional architecture (schist and granite houses), the preservation of local traditions and customs, and a connection to subsistence farming, shepherding, crafts, and a gastronomy with unique flavors.
Pastoralism and Transhumance
Transhumance is the seasonal movement of sheep flocks along ancient paths (the "canadas") between the valleys and plateaus of the Serra da Estrela mountain range. This ancestral practice guarantees the best pastures for the region's native sheep breeds, giving rise to the finest protected designation of origin cheeses. More than a way of life, it is a celebration of the agro-pastoral communities and a unique cultural landscape, which you can experience firsthand by following the flocks as they ascend and tasting some of the world's best cheeses.
