Page 261 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Portugal

Did You Know?
The Portuguese word
oxalá, meaning “if only”,
comes from the Arabic
insha’allah, meaning “if
Allah wishes it”.

19
Freixo de
Espada à Cinta
! F2 @ n Praça Jorge
Álvares; 279 653 480
Several stories try to explain
the curious name of this
remote border town. “Ash tree
of the girt sword” may derive
from the arms of a Spanish
nobleman, or a Visigoth called
Espadacinta, or from a tale
that, when founding the town
in the 14th century, King Dinis
strapped his sword to an ash.
Dominating the skyline is
the heptagonal Torre do Galo,
a relic from the 14th-century
de fences. Views from the
top are splendid, especially
in spring when the almond
blossom puts on a show, which
attracts a great many visitors.
The cultivation of silkworms
here is a revival of the 18th-
century industry, and a visit to father of the poet Guerra Rich interior of the
the Museu da Seda Junqueiro, and aims to Igreja Matriz, at Freixo
e do Território (Silk and highlight the importance de Espada à Cinta
Territory Museum) offers an of preserving rural life.
insight into this important The intricate 16th-century
tradition. Multimedia exhibits portal of the Igreja Matriz THE DOVECOTES
explain the entire silk process leads into a splendid small- OF MONTESINHO
from the planting of the mul- scale version of Belém’s Doves supply not only
berry tree to the final product. Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (p108). food but also droppings,
Visitors can purchase hand- Panels of the altarpiece, attri- which are highly prized
made pieces. The museum buted to Grão Vasco, include as fertilizer. In the
also houses interesting a fine Annunciation. Parque Natural de
ethnographic, archaeological Montesinho (p258), the
and geological collections. Torre do Galo traditional horseshoe-
Museu Regional Casa ⌂ Praça Jorge Álvares shaped dovecote or
Junqueiro, on Rua de São # Daily pombal is still a familiar
Francisco, occupies the home sight. The birds nest in
of José António Junqueiro, Museu da Seda rough cells inside the
e do Território whitewashed schist
" ⌂ Largo do Outeiro walls and enter through
§ 279 658 160 # Apr–Sep: gaps in the roof. They
The centre of Torre de 9am–12:30pm, 2:30–6pm are fed via a raised
Moncorvo, set in a lush Tue–Sun; Oct–Mar: 9:30am– door at the front.
green valley 12:30pm, 2–5:30pm
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