Monção: Travel and tourism

Probably founded in the 13th century, the town of Monção was once part of the string of fortified posts that guarded and defended the Minho river, which forms a natural border with Spain.

A remote and charming town, Monção boasts of a Romanesque Mother Church with a beautiful sculpted doorway, fine 15th and 16th-centuries houses lining squares decorated with chestnut-trees, flowerbeds and mosaic walks, and the thickly wooded Thermal Park, with a spa of hot mineral springs used for treating rheumatism and skin and respiratory problems.

One of the main attractions of the county, which it shares with neighbouring Melgaço, is the Alvarinho Route, named after the excellent vinho verde which is produced in the region. A delicate and slightly sparkling variety of white wine, it is made from white grapes planted on granitic slopes and benefitting from a specific microclimate.

Most vineyards belong to estates with beautiful manor-houses which have been restored and may be visited during the tour, together with the wine-cellars. One of the best-known is the Palácio da Brejoeira, a neo-classical palace just five kilometres from the town of Monção, but there are many others.

Southeast of Monção, the monastery of São João de Longos Vales, rising on a fertile green valley, exhibits a church from the 12th century built in the Romanesque style. Surrounded by chestnut-trees, it displays strange sculpted figures, including serpents and monkeys, on the exterior capitals and in the apse inside.

In June, the colourful Corpus Christi festival known as the Festa da Coca includes a picturesque mock combat between Saint George and the dragon (the coca).

A local gastronomical speciality is lampern (a river eel-like fish) with rice, which naturally tastes much better with the local vinho verde.