Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PIG MYSTERIES
Hundreds of crudely carved granite pigs or boars, known as
berrões,
are still scattered around the more remote
parts of Trás-os-Montes and over into Spain. While they're widely acknowledged to be Celtic in origin, nobody
knows for sure what purpose they served. Theories abound: they may have been symbols of fertility or prosperity,
grave guardians, offerings to Iron Age gods, manifestations of the gods themselves or simply property markers.
You can see these mysterious pigs in museums in Bragança, Chaves and Miranda do Douro, or in situ in
Bragança's citadel, where a weather-beaten porker supports a medieval pillory. The best-preserved example sits
heavily atop a pedestal in the central square of tiny Murça, 30km northeast of Vila Real.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Bragança
POP 20,000 / ELEV 650M
The historical capital of Trás-os-Montes, Bragança is at once a modern city of broad
sterile avenues and suburban high-rises, and an overgrown medieval village from whose
crenellated heights one can still survey the surrounding countryside and see small farms,
fields and oak-chestnut forest. While many streets - especially some in the older
centro
-
give the appearance of a town down on its luck, new construction and civic projects ex-
press Bragança's enduring pride and dynamism. Recent additions to the city's cultural life
include a municipal theatre, museums dedicated to contemporary art and regional folk tra-
ditions, and eye-catching public sculptures such as the bronze postman outside the
correio
(post office) and the massive fighting bulls in the Rotunda do Lavrador Transmontano.
For the visitor, the main attraction remains the ancient walled Cidadela (citadel), high
atop the hill at Bragança's eastern edge. Walk through the arched gates into this ex-
traordinarily well-preserved medieval quarter, with its tangle of narrow streets,
multistorey keep and towering pig pillory, and it's easy to imagine life in the Middle Ages
unfolding around you. The view from the topmost tower - for those brave enough to
climb a steep, ancient wooden ladder - is truly astounding.
The city's main axis road - alternately called Av João da Cruz, Rua Almirante Reis,
Rua Combatentes da Grande Guerra and Rua Trindade Coelho - winds southeast from the
bus station up to the citadel. The town centre is Praça da Sé, the square in front of the old
cathedral.
History
