Vinhais is a Portuguese village which belongs to the Bragança district (Alto Trás-os-Montes). This is the birthplace of my mother, and current place of residence of my grandmother. I have enough childhood memories of this village, and it doesn't matter how many times I go back, the charm does not disappear and there's always something new.
It was here that I learned some of the traditions of the Portuguese people, accompanied by memories of my grandmother, as well as other local traditions that are practiced even today. The fascination by the legends and myths that surround the entire region are magical. Although small, the village is full of little treasures, such as the Medieval Wall and the Biological Park; events are varied and attract tourists from all over the country and even the neighboring country (given its proximity to Spain).
I'll tell you a little about some of the tourist sites in the village and also about some of the events (but haven't decided if I'll talk about them in more detail in different posts).
The Medieval Wall - Vinhais Castle (or "Castelinhos" as they're called by my grandmother): no one knows for sure when or who had built, but authors refer to D. Dinis as author. Due to its border location, the castle was of great military importance due to the greed of the neighboring monarchs.
Pillory: located within the walled enclosure of the castle, very close to my grandmother's house (she lives down the street). Its construction dates back to the Manueline period.
For nature lovers I advise a walk to the top of Cidadelha, consisting of a viewpoint overlooking a beautiful landscape. You can see some unique species of fauna and flora.
You can also visit the Biological Park where you can observe several species such as roe deer, wild boars, various waterfowl, and the Mirandese donkey, the same as the flora, where you can find different types of mushrooms, aromatic and medicinal herbs. And here I have to tell you about this amazing thing, we found there some goose, that were actually very polite because when we make a bow, they match.
Remember when I spoke of traditions, it is the Green Park is the place to learn. This leisure area is also a place dedicated to preserving the memory of the arts and traditional crafts, which many are unaware and are at risk of getting lost in time. I'll talk about them in another post, solely dedicated to it.
Vinhais has a rich and varied cuisine based on typical regional products such as maize (corn meal with tomato or cabbage), the couscous (wheat flour and boiled water in a water bath). very typical dishes like rabanadas, canelones, caldo de cascas, enchidos, folar de Páscoa and pasteis de massa tenra.
Besides gastronomy, this village has many traditional festivals (some more than others), such as the Chestnut Festival, the Fair Meats, the Feast of the Goat and the Stub (Cidões - Vinhais) and Wednesday of Ash: Death and Devils. I decided to address these festivities in another post in order to be able to extend myself a little more about each of them.
This is a well-Portuguese town !!! And my house: D
