Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Self-drivers can use Amarante as an alternate base to explore the quintas (estates) of the
Alto Douro.
There is free parking just east of the turismo where the mercado municipal (municipal
market) is held; avoid parking there overnight before crowded market days (Wednesday
and Saturday).
History
The town may date back as far as the 4th century BC, though Gonçalo, a 13th-century
hermit, is credited with everything from the founding of the town to the construction of its
first bridge.
Amarante's strategically placed bridge (Ponte de São Gonçalo) almost proved to be its
undoing in 1809, when the French lost their brief grip on Portugal. Marshal Soult's troops
retreated to the northeast after abandoning Porto, plundering as they went. A French de-
tachment arrived here in search of a river crossing, but plucky citizens and troops held
them off, allowing residents to escape to the far bank. The French retaliated by burning
down much of the town.
Amarante has also suffered frequent natural invasions by the Rio Tâmega. Little cheia
(high water level) plaques in Rua 31 de Janeiro and Largo Conselheiro António Cândido
tell the harrowing story.
Sights & Activities
Ponte de São Gonçalo
A symbol of the town's heroic defence against the French (marked by a plaque at the
southeastern end), the granite Ponte de São Gonçalo is Amarante's visual centrepiece. The
original bridge, allegedly built at Gonçalo's urging in the 13th century, collapsed in a
flood in 1763; this one was completed in 1790.
BRIDGE
Mosteiro de São Gonçalo
( 9am-7pm summer, 9am-5.30pm winter) Founded in 1543 by João III, the Mosteiro de São
Gonçalo and Igreja de São Gonçalo weren't completed until 1620. Above the church's photo-
genic, Italian Renaissance side portal is an arcaded gallery, 30m high, with 17th-century
statues of Dom João and the other kings who ruled while the monastery was under con-
struction: Sebastião, Henrique and Felipe I.
MONASTERY
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