Friday 23 October 2020

AROUCA + MEITRIZ

 


AROUCA
40° 55′ 48″ N, 8° 15′ 00″ W

Arouca is a municipality in the Metropolitan Area of ​​Porto, in the Northern Region and in the district of Aveiro. The municipality, with 329.11 km² of territorial area and with 22 359 inhabitants (2011), is subdivided into 16 parishes (Alvarenga; Arouca and Burgo; Cabreiros and Albergaria da Serra; Canelas and Espiunca; Chave; Covelo de Paivó and Janarde; Escaride; Fermedo; Mansores; Moldes (Arouca); Rossas; Santa Eulália; São Miguel do Mato; Tropeço; Urrô; Várzea) and its headquarters, with about 5 200 inhabitants, is the village of Arouca, which is located in the Union of Parishes of Arouca and Burgo, in the valley of the Arda River.
The municipality of Arouca is bordered to the northwest by Gondomar and Santa Maria da Feira, to the southwest by Oliveira de Azeméis and to the south by Vale de Cambra, to the north by the municipalities of Castelo de Paiva and Cinfães, to the east by Castro Daire, to the east, and to the south by São Pedro do Sul.
The Arouca Geopark, which corresponds to the administrative area of ​​the municipality of Arouca, is recognized for its exceptional Geological Heritage of international relevance, with particular emphasis on the "breeding stones of Castanheira", the "Trilobites Gigantes de Canelas" and the Ichnofossils of Vale do Paiva. The phenomenon of calving stones that occurs in Arouca is considered unique in the world. The valuable and unique inventoried Geological Heritage, covering a total of 41 geosites, forms the basis of the Geopark Arouca project, which was recognized by the European and Global Geoparks Networks, under the auspices of UNESCO.











AROUCA MONASTERY
Documented since the century. X, the monastery of Arouca, exclusively female since 1154, will assert itself mainly from the century. XIII, after having entered D. Mafalda, daughter of D. Sancho I, here in turmoil. There are few vestiges of the most distant phases, due to the great renovation works of the 17th - 18th centuries, which defined the current aspect. The church was built between 1704/1730.
The Arouca museum, one of the best regional collections of sacred art in the country, holds very good paintings, sculptures, furniture, and silverware from the 16th to 18th centuries. It also keeps a fund of music books, rare and of high historical interest, consisting of manuscript and printed liturgical and musical codices, dating from the beginning of the 13th century to the 19th century.



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MEITRIZ
40,920394º N; W 8,132235º

Between the Montemuro and Arada mountains, embraced by the Paiva River, Meitriz was the first village in Arouca to be considered a «Village of Portugal». Crossing the village, the marked pedestrian route «Rota das Tormentas» appears, but in Meitriz there are no storms, there is calm, stillness, an immensity of green and a crystal clear flow of water, which reflects the brownish and grayish color of the slate and the shale of the houses. When seen from a distance, the village still proudly shows the paths and agricultural terraces, and the bridge, built not long ago, replaces the old boatmen, who crossed the banks, carrying people and goods. Santa Bárbara, in May, Our Lady of Fátima, in August, Santo António and São Sebastião, in November, are celebrated here, as if thanking God for this small slice of paradise.

The traditional design, the green setting and a river beach are hallmarks of the village of Meitriz, belonging to the parish of Janarde, in the municipality of Arouca. Bathed by the Paiva River, Meitriz preserves the traces of the past in the houses, made of slate and slate, on the paths, and on the agricultural terraces. Framed between two mountains, Montemuro and Arada, it enjoys a unique landscape, to which the Paiva River that passes there also contributes, creating a pleasant river beach. In these crystal clear waters, a swim is mandatory if you are here in the hot season. In this one of the least polluted waterways in all of Europe, you can also go rafting.

If walking is more your thing, know that you have the Rota das Tormentas available, a pedestrian route that crosses the village and which, contrary to its name, promises a magnificent walk! In Regoufe, a town close to the village, you can also visit the old tungsten mines that once competed with agriculture as a means of subsistence. Even today, in this natural space of rare beauty, farming is the main activity of the population, as you can see on an obligatory tour of the town. Let yourself be enveloped by the natural beauty of Meitriz and its own identity, with the terraces revealing its distinctly rural nature.












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