Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Piódão
POP 178 / ELEV 690M
Remote Piódão (pee-
oh
-downg) offers a chance to see rural Portugal at its most pristine.
This tiny traditional village clings to a terraced valley in a beautiful, surprisingly remote
range of vertiginous ridges, deeply cut valleys, rushing rivers and virgin woodland called
the Serra de Açor (Goshawk Mountains).
Until the 1970s you could only reach Piódão on horseback or by foot, and it still feels as
though you've slipped into a time warp. The village is a serene, picturesque composition in
schist stone and grey slate; note the many doorways with crosses over them, said to offer
protection against curses and thunderstorms.
Houses descend in terraces to the square, where you'll find the fairy-tale parish church,
the
Igreja Nossa Senhora Conceição
, and a low-key touristy scene selling local liqueurs and
souvenirs.
Sights & Activities
Núcleo Museológico de Piódão
(Largo Cónego Manuel Fernandes Nogueira ; admission €1; 10am-1pm & 2-6pm Jun-Sep, 9am-1pm, 2-5pm Oct-
May)
This tiny museum above the
turismo
displays reconstructions of typical rooms in local
homes, complete with tools, pottery and furniture. There are also historic photos of Piódão
and its residents.
MUSEUM
Walks
A signposted network of hiking trails connects Piódão to the nearby villages of Foz d'Égua
(two-hour loop hike) and Chãs d'Égua (one hour each way). Foz d'Égua has some lovely
old stone bridges, schist houses and a precarious-looking footbridge over the river gorge.
Chãs d'Égua is home to more than a hundred examples of rock art from the Neolithic to the
Iron Age.
WALKING
Festivals & Events
