Amares, Portugal

Amares is a Portuguese village belonging to the District of Braga, North region, county seat, integrated in a mountainous area, in a beautiful valley formed by the rivers Cávado and Homem, mostly rural, famous for the production of oranges and the highly regarded Vinho Verde.

Amares presents a simple rural architecture, typical of this northern region, where rural houses coexist with palatial houses and manors of the great agricultural lords, such as Casa da Tapada, among many others, scattered among the many picturesque rural villages of the county, which are worth a visit. . The development of this village was greatly influenced by the Religious Orders that settled in the region, such as the Beniditine Order at the Monastery of Rendufe, in the 11th century, and the Cistercian Order that established the Monastery of Santa Maria do Bouro in the 12th century.

 

Sights

Guimaraes Castle. Linked to the founding of the Portucalense County and the struggles for independence from Portugal, this fortress built in the 9th century was responsible for defending the first capital of the Kingdom.
Castle of Povoa de Lanhoso. Built on top of Monte do Pilar, the largest granite monolith in the country, this is one of the most imposing Portuguese castles.
Monastery of Santo André de Rendufe. Considered one of the main houses of Benedictine monks in the country, its founder was Egas Viegas de Penagate, a member of the nobility and master of the Knights Templar in the country between 1157 and 1196. He was lord of the Terras de Bouro, associated with those of Penela, between the rivers Cávado and Lima. Over the centuries, the monastery was expanded, but the main works date from the 18th century, such as the construction of the new church and convent facilities, with emphasis on the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.
Monastery of Tibaes. Founded in sec. XI, this building is classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1944.
Ethnographic Museum of Terras do Bouro. The village of Vilarinho da Furna was a place in the parish of Campo do Gerês, located in the northeastern part of the municipality of Terras de Bouro. It was submerged, at the beginning of the 1971s, and with it a great ethnographic richness, associated with agro-silvo-pastoral activities, experiences and community spirit of its people, houses and other stories of the past. As a way of safeguarding all the village's heritage, the Ethnographic Museum of Vilarinho da Furna was built, on the initiative of the then young student from Vilarinho, Manuel de Azevedo Antunes, with the support, mainly, of the Municipality of Terras de Bouro, which recreates the place that was submerged by the waters of the reservoir, on the Homem River, when the dam was inaugurated, on May 21, 1972. With its doors open since 1989, it is a living example of what Vilarinho da Furna was and the Museum itself was built with original objects and houses taken from the village.
Peneda-Gerês National Park. One of the greatest natural attractions in Portugal, due to the rare and impressive beauty of the landscape, the ecological and ethnographic value and the variety of fauna (deer, garnos, wolves, birds of prey) and flora (pine trees, yew trees, chestnut trees, oak trees and various medicinal plants ). It extends from the Gerês mountain range, to the south, through the Peneda mountain range to the Spanish border. It includes sections of the Roman road that connected Braga to Astorga, known as Geira. There are two important pilgrimage centers in the park, the Nossa Senhora da Peneda Sanctuary, a replica of the Bom Jesus de Braga sanctuary, and São Bento da Porta Aberta, a place of great popular devotion.
Sanctuary of Bom Jesus. Ordered to be built in the 18th century, this Catholic sanctuary is an architectural-landscape complex integrated by a church.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Abbey. The Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Abadia is a Marian sanctuary from the 18th century that impresses with its imposing façade, as well as its state of conservation. The interior of the 18th-century temple has three naves, separated by full-length arcades supported by Tuscan columns.

 

Getting here

by bus/coach
The village has regular bus connections to the city of Braga, through which it has access to most cities in the north of the country.

By car
Through the city of Braga following national road nº 101

 

Sround the city

by train/train
From Braga it is possible to access the train line to the city of Porto.

by bus/coach
There are buses that make the route to the Peneda Geres National Park, and to the city of Braga.

 

Buy

Oranges of Amares – Amares has a characteristic, unique in the country: out-of-season oranges, so you can find them in traditional fairs usually held every Friday, or even in local shops.
Barcelona Fair. The weekly fair in Barcelos is considered one of the most famous fairs in Portugal. It takes place weekly, on Thursdays. It is an old tradition, in which we can feel the soul and culture of the people of Minho and Barcelos in particular. It is a space rich in color and diversity in which we can find vegetables, handicrafts and regional products. It appeared for the first time in 1412. It was granted by D. João in a letter dated 19 February of the same year, at the request of the Count of Barcelos D. Afonso, his son.

 

Drink

Discotheque Lagar. This Project emerged in 1982 from a personal initiative, at a time when few or even no nightlife spaces existed. This House arises from a wine press (hence the name Lagar's) belonging to the owner's family, from which the first phase of this space was built.

 

Sleep

Average
Pousada de Santa Maria do Bouro, Largo do Terreiro, 253 371 970 ✆, fax: 253 371 976, guest@pousadas.pt. Result of the restoration of a Cistercian Monastery from the 17th century. XII, one of the most characteristic of that period in Portugal, in a remarkable work by the Architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, awarded with the 2011 Pritzker Prize, the highest architecture prize in the world. This fantastic hotel in Gerês, surrounded by stunning gardens and exhaustively restored and adapted to modern times, has become a temple of peace and quiet.

 

Security

GNR – Amares Territorial Post Rua Combatentes do Ultramar nrs 16, 18 and 20, Ferreirros.

 

Health

Amares Health Center Rua 25 de Abril, 253 909 230 ✆.
Hospital de Braga Lugar das 7 Fontes, 253 027 000