I don’t think you will find many tour buses up here! This is REMOTE! Almost on the Spanish border, this definitely qualifies as Northern Portugal. Following a recommendation from the tourist office in Montalegre, and as it was roughly in the direction we were headed that day, off we went, 25km into the mountains, to seek out the village of Pitoes das Júnias with its ruined Benedictine monastery and waterfall.
The setting is spectacular, with the red roofed, brown-stoned houses surrounded by peaks and silence. A 4km trail from the village leads to a junction where’s a bit of back tracking between monastery and waterfall but its worth the effort!
The landscape is stunning…
We’ll head for the monastery first…
Trails are well marked..
It is thought that the monastery was founded in the late 9th century by 13 monks. It was occupied until the extinction of religious orders in Portugal in 1834. All but the church was destroyed by fire a few years later
Heading back towards the waterfall, there is a stone path for part of the route…
A walkway continues downwards to a viewing platform…
We have time for a quick look around the village before the rain comes!
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Looks fabulous walking countryside, great views
Would have loved more time in the area – we will definitely go back sometime.