The Village of Monsanto, Portugal

Monsanto, Portugal – the most Portuguese village – was named the best in 1938. The village has maintained its charm, and building regulations have protected it. Granite cottages are tucked in between giant boulders on Mount Monsanto, Portugal, which makes them the world's most extraordinary homes in Portugal. These narrow streets, which are wide enough for a donkey to walk on, were carved from rock and climb four hundred feet. The Mons Sanctus hill rises to nearly eight hundred metres.

Monsanto Portugal

Monsanto, The village boulder

Monsanto, which means "sacred mountain," is a small village on a rocky hill near the border with Spain. This village is located in the Portuguese municipality Idanha-a-Nova. The village boulder is situated at the top of a 400-foot-high hill in Geopark Naturejo in Portugal and is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the area.

Village at the boulders — Monsanto's villagers had to adapt to their environment by building their homes around existing boulders. Monsanto's residents prefer donkeys for transport, so they managed to preserve the village's mediaeval atmosphere. This region is believed to have been inhabited for the first time during the Palaeolithic when prehistoric man created stone tools. The village of Monsanto, which is still in existence today, was founded in the 12th Century. The shapes and architecture of the stone houses were determined by the placement of the rocks. These massive boulders were used to replace the walls, floors, and roofs of the Monsanto houses. Monsanto is one of the most picturesque villages in Portugal.

Monsanto Portugal, Village at the boulders

Evidence of human occupation from Palaeolithic times was found. There are also remnants of Roman and Visigoth occupation. Monsanto was owned by the Moors until 1165, when King Afonso Henriques took it and gave it to the Templar monks, who built a fortified castle there. At the top, It can still visit the castle's ruins. From there, views span as far as Spain's border and the Serra da Estrela. Nearby the castle is the ruin of a Roman chapel that has five stone tombs.

The most Portuguese village

Portugal's mountain village, Monsanto, won the 1938 national contest. It was named "the most Portuguese village". It is kept as a copy on top of the Lucano tower. There are a few small-town squares in the village and a tiny misericordia, a Romanesque church. Older ladies can still be found talking on their front porches while chickens and goats watch them. Monsanto is located twelve kilometres away from Idanha-a-Nova. It is fifty kilometres from Castelo Branco and is just 100 miles from Salamanca in Spain.

First Image / Source