Museums & Attractions

New Cheese Museum Opened

Thursday, 04 August 2011 00:00

On May 14, 2011  the town of Covilhã inaugurated the Cheese Museum and Town Hall of Peraboa. The only one in its region, the Cheese Museum allows visitors to understand the production process of some of the best cheeses in the world, appreciated and recognized internationally in both tourism and gourmet circles. In a 634 square meter area in the town of Peraboa, the Cheese Museum represents an investment of over 500,000 euros. The new space runs as both a museum and a gourmet cheese shop, which allows each visitor to experience something different. Included in the building are a reception and information area, themed rooms, 2D and 3D projections, interactive games, an indoor garden, a tasting room and a shop with recreations of the various activities from the field (shearing, milking, etc.).  An iron, wood and stone building, reconstructed by the City of Covilhã and enhanced with multimedia, visitors can get to know the methods and the environment surrounding the craftsmanship process of Serra Cheese (Queijo da Serra), as well as the techniques and even the tools used in order to create this delicacy. At the museum, it's also possible to get to know the characteristics of Kosher sheep cheese, produced in Peraboa according to Jewish rules. On the same day, the City inaugurated the Peraboa Town Hall. The construction includes the town hall headquarters, a post office, meeting rooms and multipurpose rooms for the Town Assembly, a kindergarten with cafeteria, locker rooms, a patio and other facilities. The project is valued at more than 342,000 euros. In the Teachers House Restaurant, the gourmet route associated with the Cheese Museum, there is a tasting of regional products. This equipment was opened in September 2009, and has been a strong driver for the town, allowing for the dissemination and preservation of both local cuisine and the Serra da Estrela cheese. It is set at a series of investments over 870,000 euros, which will greatly enlarge the town of Peraboa and the county of Covilhã.

Prince of Wales opens new tourist attraction in Sintra

Sunday, 03 April 2011 00:00

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, visiting Portugal, inaugurated on Tuesday the "most important and unique rose garden in the country", Parque de Monserrate, Sintra. And, the new tourist attraction in relation to the landscape of Sintra occupies an area of 6,000 square meters and has 800 rose bushes of 200 varieties, over a landscape located adjacent to the Garden Mexico. The rose garden is located at the base of the hill that is implanted in the Palace of Monserrate, recently renovated and reopened to the public. The new roses were offered by the Friends of Monserrate.

600th Watch ticks into the Serpa Watch Museum

Saturday, 19 March 2011 00:00

Serpa’s Watch Museum, in the Alentejo, iscelebrated another "birthday," this one to celebrate the display of its 600th pocket watch. According to Eugénio Tavares d’Almeida, museum manager and registrar, “the 600th pocket watch was donated by a lady from Elvas who felt the need to donate it when she last visited the museum. The watch once belonged to her grandfather, but sat unused and irreparable for years.” After two weeks of repair work by Mr. António Silva, the old Moeris was revived and working like the day it was made (ca. 1920). Many of the parts were restored and others made new from scratch, but the end result is one of the 2,100 reasons/watches to visit Serpa and this Museum, one of a kind in the Iberian Peninsula. Picture of the watch: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1668609589436&set=o.64895219891

Redevelopment Approved for the National Museum of the Press

Wednesday, 16 February 2011 00:00

The Secretary of State for Tourism, Bernardo Trindade, approved financial support for the renovation of the National Printing Press Museum in Porto. The secretary allocated a budget of over 210,000 Euros to th e project under the Tourism Intervention Program (TIP). According to Trindade, the intervention "aims to give the museum a new external image," running a total investment of 1.2 million Euros. The proposed redevelopment includes interventions in several areas, including the recovery of the facades, remodeling the lighting system, creating an auditorium, improved accessibility for the disabled and creating an outdoor café.