The best walks and hikes around Pinhal Novo

These were the "mills" of old, moved by the wind, heavy granite millstones, transformed wheat seeds into flour from which delicious bread was made, which "satisfied" the hunger of those who had little to eat.

Great View!

The Portuguese oak can be considered an intermediate species between the oaks of the north of the country and those of the south, that is, between the black oak and the oak, and the cork oak and holm oak. This tree grows slowly and inhabits habitats that are generally limiting for most other trees. Like the holm oak, the acorns of this oak are also used in the feed of the wild pig.

The rural Islamic site of Alto da Queimada, which we identified as a hilltop, was subjected to archaeological intervention between 1996 and 2005. The village shows signs of previous occupation, from the Roman and pre-Islamic periods, with continuity of settlement being recognised, attributable to the great fertility of the region and the good location and defence conditions. The peasant population that, in the Islamic period, structured and inhabited the hilltop from the Emiral period until the beginning of the 11th century, maintained undeniable fiscal and cultural links to the castle of Palmela. The hilltop is defined in a west-east direction, with rectangular houses, with rough stonework associated with walls obtained from the local rock and roofs made of perishable materials. Spaces with functions linked to daily agricultural and pastoral life are defined, namely storage areas, but also others of a religious nature. The signs of a predominantly agricultural economy are evident in the collection of instruments and various utensils, but other activities are also documented, such as fishing, justified by the proximity of the Sado Estuary.

The Arrábida region holds valuable treasures and a variety of information about the geological evolution of the territory and its occupation since the Neolithic period. It is possible to discover and interpret all these signs in a simple and educational way along the Serra do Louro and Quinta do Anjo mountain range, where you can see beds of fossilized oysters and corals and a large number of archaeological remains in the form of engravings, settlements, hill forts and tombs excavated in the rock. It is also a privileged location for the global observation of all the orography related to the formation of the Serra da Arrábida. The geodetic marker marks the highest point of the Serra do Louro. At an altitude of 224 m, you can see, to the south, the Serra de São Luís (398 m), the Serra dos Gaiteiros (229 m) and the Vale dos Barris. In this location, you can also see a bed of fossilized oysters. The oldest lands in Arrábida date back to around 200 million years ago, at the beginning of the Jurassic, with the oyster beds being one of the testimonies of other geological times.

One of the most important remains of prehistory is a set of four artificial caves, excavated in the rock, which served as collective burial places for the people of the region for around 1,000 years during the Chalcolithic Period (Copper Age). The deceased was placed – in the foetal position, accompanied by a series of ceremonies and offerings – inside the tomb, which, due to its shape, imitated a mother's womb, symbolising a return to the origin of life and a tribute to fertility. The four artificial caves at Quinta do Anjo are funerary monuments with unique characteristics, dating back to the Final Neolithic (around 4,500 years ago) and which continued to be used as collective burial sites during the Copper Age. They were excavated in the rock to form circular compartments, which are accessed via a corridor and an antechamber.

At the top of the Serra do Louro stand the windmills which, in the not so distant past, were an important industry for processing cereals. The force of the wind hits the open sails, turning an axle, which in turn transmits the rotation to a limestone stone that rotates on another fixed one. These stones, called "millstones", receive the cereal grains between them, transforming them into flour.

Magnificent view of the Chapel of St. Louis da Serra