Ask just about anyone what they know about Portugal as a destination and even savvy travelers may have this image: a country with beachfront resorts in the Algarve, historical sites in Lisbon, cloyingly sweet port wine, and food that revolves around codfish.
After dining with several writers who unanimously voted Portugal as having the worst cuisine in the world, Jeanine Barone decided it was time to get the word out about Portugal’s lesser-known treasures.
Read on for part one of her 10 things you didn’t know about Portugal.
1. In the Azores, you can stay in a former abandoned centuries-old village
On the island of Flores, the farthest west of the nine Azorean islands, Aldeia da Cuada, a seven-acre 19th century hamlet, has been resurrected as an accommodation. Since the 1950s, the village fell into disrepair when all the residents emigrated to the U.S. and Canada.
Now, the entire property that’s snuggled on a grassy plateau above the ocean epitomizes sustainability. The owner Carlos Silva and his wife, Teotonia, used the original cobblestones for the paths, maintained the rustic rural architecture of the black basalt cottages with their red-tile roofs and white-washed interiors, and furnished them as they would have been with wrought-iron beds, patchwork quilts, hand-carved tables, and other imported and locally-made antiques. This is a sanctuary where you can enjoy simple pleasures, such as gazing at the waterfalls gushing down the hills in back of the hamlet, or swimming in natural ocean pools.
2. In Lisbon, it’s not all about codfish
Portugal’s capital city is home to some top creative restaurants. Bocca‘s young chef, Alexandre Silva, creates delicacies that look like miniature works of art. He takes his inspiration from traditional Portuguese recipes and then gives them a twist. For example, he created a dessert that’s a deconstructed trio of typical egg-based Portuguese desserts, which originated in the convents. At 100 Maneiras, the mix of flavors will stop you in your tracks. Sautéed scallops come with potato foam and white truffles; and roasted black pork cheeks are topped with Oporto wine air. Award-winning chef Henrique Sa Pessoa presides over Alma or Soul, a perfect name for this restaurant where the focus is on the simple ingredients prepared and served without pretension. The degustation menus are the best way to sample his carefully prepared foods that he typically flavors with citrus, chilies, and lemongrass.
3. The island of Porto Santo has beaches with healing sands
The island’s fine-grained golden sands as well as its salt water and freshwater springs are said to have therapeutic properties. Scientists had long conducted research here showing that the coral-derived sands—they date to the origins of the island some 30,000 years ago—can benefit people with bone, joint and skin conditions. The high levels of the mineral strontium may be responsible for the benefits that locals swear by.
So, it’s no wonder that the Porto Santo Hotel & Spa makes use of these natural healing elements in its hot sand therapy. There’s a hushed quality to the massive marble space where white-garbed staff members explain this unique therapy and escort you to one of several copper baths. There you’ll be buried up to your neck in hot sand. When you’re done, you can head to the beachside café that serves dishes with local fruits and vegetables that also contain beneficial minerals.
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4. There’s an Algarve free of wall-to-wall beach resorts
In the Southwest Algarve, you can pedal along a four-mile bike trail through the Natural Park of the Cape of St. Vincent paralleling the water most of the way. Passing beaches, coves known for surfing and kayaking, and cliffs where 65-foot-high waves are known to crash, you’ll find a 19th century lighthouse along a cape that’s considered Europe’s westernmost point. The nature-based activities available in this area include guided cliff climbing, day hikes and boat trips with a marine biologists, all based out of Sangres. The Monte Velho Nature Resort, located in a more remote locale near Carrapateira, provides easy access to a 5-mile hike along the coast that also wanders through a shady pine forest. The trails are also ideal for mountain biking. But strolling along Bordeira, a rugged beach with about two miles of nothing but sand, and little in the way of crowds, presents a more leisurely activity. Then again, when the waves kick up, which is often, it’s very tempting to rent a surfboard and either take a lesson or hang 10.
Keep reading about 10 Lesser-Known Treasures Of Portugal here.
5. Porto is not just about port wine
Portugal’s second largest city has a vibrant arts scene. The Serralves Contemporary Art Museum is home to an ever-changing array of cutting-edge works.
Designed by noted Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza Vieira, this modernist asymmetric museum with its stark white facade and interior exhibits everything from experimental photography to works that meld politics with art. Surrounding the museum, the extensive leafy gardens are laced with trails that allow access to sculptures, including a Richard Serra-designed monolithic slab and what’s become a signature piece: a gigantic red shovel.
Contemporary art galleries line much of Miguel Bombarda, a street with a car-free section that’s a haven for gallery hopping. Every six weeks, all the venues simultaneously host gallery openings where the community and visitors meet, sip wine and enjoy the often-edgy works.
Stay tuned for part two of 10 Lesser-Known Treasures Of Portugal…
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 Two
- Spain & Portugal Travel section
- Beach Vacations section
- Health & Fitness travel section
