Passionate about port? Crazy for codfish?

Well, Portugal might be known for all that, but there’s a lot more to this tiny nation than meets the eye.

Contributing writer Jeanine Barone fills us in on five more treasures of Portugal that you may not have known existed.

6.  The Alentejo region is Portugal’s Tuscany

Tuscan-like medieval hill towns, each with a distinctive personality, dot this little visited region that’s coated with cork oak and olive trees.

Those who wander the narrow streets that are lined with colorful blooming flowers in Castelo de Vide will find the old Jewish Quarter with its centuries-old synagogue.

In the town of Marvao, you can stroll the battlements, towers and vast courtyards in the well-preserved castle and gaze at the panoramic views of the undulating valley far below.

A 16th century aqueduct and a Roman temple have survived in the walled city of Evora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has a macabre chapel entirely constructed of human bones.

Among the cluster of museums in Serpa, the Watch Museum displays more than 1,000 timepieces, and the Archeological Museum has artifacts that date to the Stone Age.

Foodies are also attracted to Serpa for its artisanal cheese production.

7. The Douro isn’t the only sophisticated wine region

In the northwest, the Vinho Verde is Portugal’s often-overlooked region that’s noted for its light, young wines. Here, a network of winding lanes snake past many a stone village and atmospheric winery.

At Casa de Vila Verde, the fields and casa are so ancient that the government protects the entire property. (The stone mansion dates to the 13th century and Roman ruins have been found under the vineyards.)

Don’t miss the first 5 spots in 10 Lesser-Known Treasures Of Portugal.

All their single varietal wines are made with Loureiro, Trajadura and other traditional grapes that lend aromatic and exotic fruit qualities.

A centuries-old manor house looks down on a verdant valley at Afros, a winery producing biodynamic wines.

It may be a hotly debated process—deemed magical by some—and Vasco Croft, the owner and wine maker, is producing some bold, high-quality wines, including the 2009 Vinhao with its ripe tannins and licorice notes.

In the summer, visitors can make a reservation to taste the transparent, vibrant wines.

8. Known for its vertiginous levada hikes, Madeira has a unique reflexology walk

There’s no need to struggle up Madeira’s rugged volcanic topography, thanks to the network of almost 1,000 miles of irrigation channels orlevadas. A level walking path borders these narrow aqueducts.

But all is not as easy as it sounds: the trails may be flat but they can be quite precipitous, and, therefore, stressful for acrophobes.

Headed to the Iberian Peninsula? Visit the Spain & Portugal Travel section.

The hotel Jardim Atlantico has the perfect antidote for all manner of tension: a half-mile barefoot reflexology walk. Like the levada walks, this trail is perched on a hillside overlooking the Atlantic.

But here your feet get the workout that’s good for the whole body as you stroll across a rough surface made up of indigenous elements, such as pine needles, bark, beach pebbles, eucalyptus berries and sand. In between the rough stuff are beds of soft grass and at the end your feet dip into water set in a mini-levada.

9. It’s not just Spain that’s home to designer wineries

An ethereal experience awaits those who visit Portugal’s handful of vineyards where the architecture of the winery presents as much a sensory delight as does sipping their wines. In the Bairrada region, architect Pedro Matea designed the ultra-contemporary Quinta do Encontro with a shape resembling a wine barrel. Even the curved sloped walkways in the interior are corkscrew-like.

Designed by Portuguese architect Alvarao Siza Vieira, Quinta do Portal is a winery that melds into the landscape, thanks to the use of schist, cork and other natural materials. Siza is also behind the Campo Maior Winery in Portugal’s Alentejo region. Presiding over the rolling hillside, the winery is reminiscent of a fort, which makes sense, considering the region’s fortified hilltop villages.

Check out another unusual wine region with shopper extraordinaire Suzy Gershman in Northern California’s Shenandoah Valley Wine Country.

The ceilings seem to reach for the sky and plenty of glass frames the leafy landscape that defines the Alentejo. During the day, the sun becomes part of the art, altering the character of this elongated glass edifice.

10. Aveiro is known as the Venice of Portugal

Boldly painted boats referred to as molicieros ply the waters in the canals that slice Aveiro, a former major port city until, in the 16th century, a grand storm propelled silt into the harbor thereby blocking its access to the sea.

Once used to harvest seaweed as a fertilizer, the flat-bottomed wood boats that resemble gondolas now mostly transport tourists around the city.

It pays to check out the pictorial details on the curvy prows of these boats, which depict the everyday activities, and stories of fisherman: fado singers, priests, romantic couples, and, even, voyeurs.

The scenes are often humorous and sometimes risqué, but always interesting.

Plying the canals, some so narrow that it feels like you can touch the buildings, these traditional boats pass salt-flats and historic Art Nouveau buildings.

By Jeanine Barone for PeterGreenberg.com. Jeanine Barone is a freelance writer and consultant who has written for publications such as Town & Country, National Geographic Traveler and Conde Nast Traveler. Visit her on the Web at www.jthetravelauthority.com.

Related links on PeterGreenberg.com:

• 10 Lesser-Known Treasures Of Portugal, Part One
• Spain & Portugal Travel section
• Beach Vacations section
• Health & Fitness travel section
• Suzy Gershman in Northern California’s Shenandoah Valley Wine Country