What to see in Portugal

Monsanto

A village that must not be missed, characterized by houses that have been built on and around masses of boulders that lie atop the hill.

In 1938 Monsanto was voted the 'most Portuguese village in Portugal'. Protected eversince by building regulations that ensure the village retains an almost preternatural charm. 

Tiny streets, just wide enough for a donkey, are carved out of rock and climb four hundred feet up a very steep hill. The hill, known as the Mons Sanctus, rises to a height of nearly eight hundred meters.