About Central Portugal
Just take a look at this video of the Zêzere river valley to know why Central Portugal is commonly known as Portugal's best kept secret....
When you first reach the central region of Portugal, mostly likely via the A1 from Lisbon, your immediate impression is one of calm and tranquillity....the tail-gaters have mostly gone, the traffic thins out, the hustle and bustle has been left behind. There is the feeling that you may have found the real Portugal - no strips of electronics shops or fast food chains - nowhere to go 'big shopping' - just trees, hills and fields.
Central Portugal is a perfect tapestry of sunny weather, beautiful scenery, fresh food and great people.
First we need to locate ourselves. Like we did, many people ask....where exactly is Central Portugal? We knew it was in the middle but where the
boundaries and places within the region were unclear.
Sometimes you may see the Central Portugal region referred to as Beira, Beira Baixa or other variations. Beira Province, which literally means 'border' was one of 6 traditional provinces of Portugal dating from the Middle Ages. Since then over many years, there were name changes and subdivisions of
districts within provinces. In 1936 Beira Litoral Province was the title given to the area containing the Leiria District (with Aveiro & Coimbra Districts). Then in 1976 the provinces were abolished, leaving only districts. The modern Central / Centro Portugal region covers most of the same area as the original Beira Province and is also divided into 10 sub-regions.
The sub-region of Pinhal Interior Norte (our area) contains parts of the districts of Leiria and Coimbra.
Leiria district (our area) contains 16 municipalities including Castanheira de Pêra, Figueiró dos Vinhos and Pedrógão Grande.
Maps courtesy of http://www.ccdrc.pt/ | Click to enlarge
Central Portugal is a perfect tapestry of sunny weather, beautiful scenery, fresh food and great people.
First we need to locate ourselves. Like we did, many people ask....where exactly is Central Portugal? We knew it was in the middle but where the
boundaries and places within the region were unclear.
Sometimes you may see the Central Portugal region referred to as Beira, Beira Baixa or other variations. Beira Province, which literally means 'border' was one of 6 traditional provinces of Portugal dating from the Middle Ages. Since then over many years, there were name changes and subdivisions of
districts within provinces. In 1936 Beira Litoral Province was the title given to the area containing the Leiria District (with Aveiro & Coimbra Districts). Then in 1976 the provinces were abolished, leaving only districts. The modern Central / Centro Portugal region covers most of the same area as the original Beira Province and is also divided into 10 sub-regions.
The sub-region of Pinhal Interior Norte (our area) contains parts of the districts of Leiria and Coimbra.
Leiria district (our area) contains 16 municipalities including Castanheira de Pêra, Figueiró dos Vinhos and Pedrógão Grande.
Maps courtesy of http://www.ccdrc.pt/ | Click to enlarge
Now we've got the big picture, here is a little more about Portugal's best kept secret....
Tranquillity & safety - no rushing or swarms of people, few tourist buses, light traffic, space to yourself. Contributing to the feeling of peace is the level of safety and lack of crime in Central Portugal. Having said that, leaving valuables in plain sight in an unlocked car in town would be pushing it.
Spectacular scenery - mountains, rivers and trees where you find secluded river beaches, waterfalls, quiet spots for fishing and boating. Just driving on the winding mountain roads you will often find breath-taking panoramic views.
The climate of Central Portugal is supposed to be one of long, dry summer days and comparatively mild, slightly chilly and slightly wet winters. However over the last 3 years the weather has been decidedly unusual in our area, we were told.... it was the wettest winter for 85 years and it was colder than normal and summer warmth arriving late.
Laid back coffee shops, bars, restaurants, patisseries and bakeries, often all rolled into one place. Portuguese cuisine is not world renowned like French or Italian but does have its own distinct style and flavour, which definitely must be sampled. Like much about Central Portugal itself, traditional Portuguese cuisine hides it's light under a bushel. There is not much in the way of 'fine dining' here - you would need to go to the big cities for that, but the local menus are full of hearty soups, sausages, fish and Chanfana, which is a traditional lamb or goat stew found throughout Portugal.
You are in the 'real' Portugal among genuinely warm, hard-working Portuguese people. Generally the Portuguese, especially our village neighbours, here are always willing to help if you need a hand or give you a pile of home-grown vegetables.....and not because they expect anything in return.
Tranquillity & safety - no rushing or swarms of people, few tourist buses, light traffic, space to yourself. Contributing to the feeling of peace is the level of safety and lack of crime in Central Portugal. Having said that, leaving valuables in plain sight in an unlocked car in town would be pushing it.
Spectacular scenery - mountains, rivers and trees where you find secluded river beaches, waterfalls, quiet spots for fishing and boating. Just driving on the winding mountain roads you will often find breath-taking panoramic views.
The climate of Central Portugal is supposed to be one of long, dry summer days and comparatively mild, slightly chilly and slightly wet winters. However over the last 3 years the weather has been decidedly unusual in our area, we were told.... it was the wettest winter for 85 years and it was colder than normal and summer warmth arriving late.
Laid back coffee shops, bars, restaurants, patisseries and bakeries, often all rolled into one place. Portuguese cuisine is not world renowned like French or Italian but does have its own distinct style and flavour, which definitely must be sampled. Like much about Central Portugal itself, traditional Portuguese cuisine hides it's light under a bushel. There is not much in the way of 'fine dining' here - you would need to go to the big cities for that, but the local menus are full of hearty soups, sausages, fish and Chanfana, which is a traditional lamb or goat stew found throughout Portugal.
You are in the 'real' Portugal among genuinely warm, hard-working Portuguese people. Generally the Portuguese, especially our village neighbours, here are always willing to help if you need a hand or give you a pile of home-grown vegetables.....and not because they expect anything in return.