J. Gafarot's photos with the keyword: granite

A little bit of history The highlight of a trip to Sortelha has to be the castle itself. As with most ruined castles in Portugal, you are free to roam its walls at your own risk. In other words, don’t expect safety barriers and wear sensible shoes. Climb up to the tower for remarkable views over the boulder-strewn fields and a crop of giant wind turbines. With such wide-reaching views, it’s easy to understand why King Sancho established the village as part of a strategic line of defence in the early 13th century. The border moved east with Portuguese victory later that century and Sortelha was largely forgotten about until the 16th century when King Manuel I showed an interest. This lead to new buildings, judicial powers and the Manueline pillory which is still a focal point of the village.

Raccards are traditional granaries that can be found in parts of the Minho, north of Portugal (Espigueiro), Swiss Alps (usually in Valais) and in the Italian Alps (in the Lys Valley and in Ayas). These structures are built above ground and are supported by granite or wooden stilts. A circular stone slab, forming an overhang, is intercalated between the stilts and the granary to prevent rodents from gaining access to the grain or fodder reserves. Their side "walls" have very long vertical slits cut into de granite to allow the air circulation but narrow enough to avoid the entry of pests, the earliest of them being built around 1750. O Soajo, uma das mais típicas aldeias portuguesas, pertence ao concelho de Arcos de Valdevez e situa-se numa das vertentes da serra da Peneda, inserida no Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês. A aldeia foi vila e sede de concelho entre 1514 e meados do século XIX mas, a sua história, começa muito antes, como o comprovam o Santuário Rupestre do Gião, na serra do Soajo, e as inúmeras antas e mamoas que existem nesta zona. Possui um grandioso conjunto de espigueiros (classificados como imóvel de interesse público) erigidos sobre uma gigantesca laje granítica e que, ainda hoje, são utilizados para secar o milho, pelas gentes da terra.

Serra da Estrela