Mesas do Castelinho

Mesas do Castelinho
In the parish of Santa Clara-a-Nova, at Monte Novo do Castelinho, there is an important archaeological site.

Mesas do Castelinho was once a large fortified settlement (of about 3 hectares), inhabited since de Iron Age.

The archaeological vestiges confirm that the original settlement dates from the 4th or 5th centuries B.C., and a Roman graveyard was discovered in the region, probably dating from the 2nd or 3rd centuries of our age.

Although studies and escavations are still being made at Mesas do Castelinho, it is certain that the region was successively populated, abandoned, and then again inhabited over the centuries, a fact that has been confirmed by the vestiges of an old Arab castle and by ruins of houses, besides the well defined layout of the ancient fortress wall.

Due to its dimensions and characteristics, the archaeological site of Mesas do Castelinho is well worth visiting.