Centro de Portugal Region

Aveiro celebrates Festival of the Estuary

Thursday, 03 May 2007 04:16

Seaweed boats sailing in a regatta are one of the highlights of this annual festival celebrating the important role of fishing and the sea in this community. The festival features performances, sporting events, craft fairs, exhibits and a celebration of food. www.rotadaluz.pt

Conimbriga’s story - Roman ruins and a mystery solved

Thursday, 03 May 2007 03:58

Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and good times, was an explorer. According to legend, when his ship laid anchor in Olissipo (known today as Lisbon), his companion, Lusas, was so taken by Portugal's beauty that he decided to stay. Hence, the ancient world knew Portugal as Lusitania. Now, if you know where to look, you can find evidence of the Romans throughout Portugal. One intriguing Roman ruin is the city of Conimbriga, which evidence suggests was a thriving town by 25 B.C. It had an ideal location on the north-south thoroughfare, and in its heyday sported its own forum, amphitheater, and numerous temples. Its houses had central heat, plumbing, and elaborate gardens. All this came to a horrible end in the 4^th century, when nomadic tribes ripped though the declining Roman Empire. Rome had pulled back to defend its holdings elsewhere. The people of Conimbriga were left to fend for themselves. They constructed a makeshift wall using statutes and corpses but, in about 468 A.D., the city was sacked and burned. In the 19th century, archeological explorations allowed Conimbriga's story to re-emerge. Almost 10 percent of it has now been excavated. The site has a public museum, where visitors can view the Roman expertise in the public bath, streets and fountain, and they can see the partially intact wall erected by the city's desperate citizens in its last days. Excavations also helped explain a long-standing mystery--Why was the ruined city of Conimbriga so near a city known today as Coimbra? The answer lay underneath the city of Coimbra, when workers repairing the bishop's palace there found miles of ancient passageways leading toward ancient Conimbriga. Apparently, when the larger Conimbriga fell, its bishop fled to nearby Coimbra, known then as Anuim. He retained the title of Bishop of Conimbriga and, so, the name stuck to his new city. Eventually the name got shortened to Coimbra. For more information visit www.conimbriga.pt/index_en.html and www.visitcentrodeportugal.com.pt

Monsanto Celebrates Festivity of the Crosses

Saturday, 03 March 2007 16:36

The Festivity of the Crosses is an event each May in Monsanto, commemorating the local resistance to a Roman siege in the Second Century B.C. On May 3, villagers ascend to the castle with singing and dancing. For more information click here.

Kart and Mountains Package in Central Portugal

Saturday, 03 March 2007 16:33

The Hotel Montemuro in the Beiras/Centro region of Portugal has a special weekend package for karting enthusiasts, running throughout the year. Priced €110 euros per person for a double-room, or €103 per person for a triple-room, the program includes two nights' accommodation with breakfast and Saturday night dinner in the hotel's regional O Pastor restaurant. The main component of the package is a full day's karting in and around the town of Castro Daire, with lunch and afternoon picnic included. Set in the heart of the Castro Daire countryside, the Hotel Montemuro has 80 rooms, and the nearby Carvalhal spa centre. www.montemuro.com

A geo-restaurant opens in Beiras/Centro Region

Saturday, 03 March 2007 16:14

Europe's first geo-restaurant is open for business in the historic Village of Monsanto (Idanha-a-nova), in the interior of the Beiras/Centro region. Petiscos & Granitos sits at the town center, offering a dining concept inspired by the nearby Geopark Naturtejo Park. It serves only local foods, prepared according to area traditions. It also serves foods from national producers who have used earth friendly methods. The restaurant itself was built with local materials, including giant blocks of local granite. www.visitcentro.com/VT_P01/1206/203/239/240/8