Trilho da Serra da Vila

The route begins at the Barroso Ecomuseum in the town of Montalegre, the county seat. It passes by the imposing medieval castle, granted a charter by King Afonso III in 1273, flanked to the north by the castle church. Upon leaving the town, you cross the Cávado River toward the village of Donões. Covering an area of 939 hectares, it is the least populated parish, with 83 inhabitants. At the entrance to the village, one can see one of the “alminhas” depicting Purgatory (dating from 1940 and bearing the following inscription: “Do not pass by, Christian traveler, without giving alms and a prayer to the blessed souls who are suffering. Tomorrow, whoever passes by you will pray” – Domingos J. Pinto, 1940).

A sundial is incorporated into the church wall. This serves as a guide for farmers during summer irrigation hours. It dates from the year 1827 and bears the following inscription: “We groan, you mock; the time will come when you will do as we do.” The houses are made of granite. There are seven to eight mills, but only one of them remains in operation. There is a tavern in the village. It does not sell chocolates or peanuts, as no one eats them, and the “pomace is free because it doesn’t sell.” Once past the village, the climb up the Serra da Vila begins, offering an exceptional view of Montalegre and the surrounding villages. After a descent through a beautiful stretch of oak forest, a stream helps to enhance the landscape. Once in Padroso, you cross the Cávado River again—now with a lower flow—and return to the starting point.

Padroso

Padroso is a village with about 140 inhabitants. Noteworthy here are the granite shrines, featuring a panel dated 1855 with a theme of purgatory. Also worth mentioning is the community oven, built of granite, with buttresses and a stone roof. Although it is in good condition, it has no users. In terms of built heritage, the six water mills stand out. Currently inactive, they were powered by water.

Natural Heritage

The border mountain range, situated on the right bank of the Cávado River, opposite the town of Montalegre, features a diverse landscape dominated by extensive areas of scrubland, marshes, agricultural fields, a few patches of oak forest, and numerous watercourses, tributaries of the Cávado River. Here we find a rich flora, featuring various species of wildflowers, broom, heather, gorse, holly, birch, and some centuries-old specimens of black oak, such as those found in Padroso and Montalegre. As for the fauna, species such as the hare, otter, roe deer, and wolf are present. The birds, which, due to their diversity and the presence of rare and endangered species, make this area internationally recognized for the conservation of this group of wildlife. In fact, the Serra da Vila is included in a Special Protection Area (“Gerês SPA”), established for the conservation of birds and their habitat under European directives. Some of the species found here include the red-backed shrike, the dipper, the moorhen, and various birds of prey, such as the short-toed eagle, the buzzard, the Montagu’s harrier, and the eagle owl.

Geology

Along the Cávado River there are several Holocene alluvial deposits. Its geology consists mainly of granites and schists. In Donões, the geology consists mainly of Montalegre granite, which is essentially biotite-bearing (darker). There is a sedimentary formation of alluvial origin, consisting of a sequence of five strata of varying grain size and thickness. At the base of the formation, we find coarser material, and at the top, finer clay sediments intercalated with iron oxides. This particular formation appears to have originated at a possible river crossing point (meander) or may have resulted from the energetic deposition of sediments during a river flood. Following the route to the village of Padroso, various quartzites and quartzite schists are visible. Notable in the landscape are the very resistant metamorphic rocks, as well as quartzites that outcrop on the surface in the form of ridges. These rocks are easily distinguished from granites because they are less susceptible to the erosive agents that are felt very intensely. One would expect to find, in the vicinity of Padornelos, the granite of the same name, pelitic schists, and paragneisses, as this is a transitional zone in the region’s geology.