Attractions and Places To See around São João Da Ribeira - Top 20

Salt is extracted from compartments – pits – made of cement or stone, of varying sizes and shallow depths, to which salt water is taken from a well through irrigation channels. Currently, the water is raised by means of a motor and distributed according to a system that is jointly accepted and respected (not always) by all the owners. The sewers, threshing floors and wooden houses for storing salt complete the set of what is called the Salt Mines of Rio Maior. According to technicians, a large and deep rock salt mine, crossed by an underground current that feeds a well, makes the water extracted from it salty, seven times saltier than that of the sea. The salt is obtained from its exposure to the sun and wind and the consequent evaporation of the water, deposited at the bottom of the pits, which is then placed in pyramid-shaped piles to dry until it is collected. The process is rudimentary and similar to that used in the salt mines on the seashore. The only difference is the picturesque valley that surrounds them, the well, the unique style of the sailors (as the men who work in the salt mines are known), the wooden houses and the country air that can be breathed.

The palace was built by the superintendent Diogo Inácio de Pina Manique (1733-1805), who held several positions during the time of the Marquis of Pombal. His connection to the town, which came to be called Manique do Intendente and was initially called Alcoentrinho, and which belonged to the Order of Christ, dates back to the time of his uncle, who established a manor in favor of his nephew in 1773. Thus began a very ambitious project, which envisaged the creation of a town with a rationalist architectural design and which included, in addition to the palace (whose construction remained unfinished), the Town Hall, the pillory, the Palace of Justice and the church. This plan did not go ahead due to Pina Manique's removal from the position of superintendent and his premature death.

The Roman bridge of Assentiz originally had two arches, but after a major flood in the 18th century, one of the sides gave way, leaving the bridge with only one arch. Analysing the way the stones in the arch area are placed, it is possible to conclude that this bridge is not in fact Roman, especially since it is now known that the Roman road did not pass through here. The bridge was part of the royal road built by order of Queen Maria I at the beginning of the 18th century, which followed the route of the old Roman road for most of its route. This royal road facilitated access to the region, allowing the flow of its products and also the passage of the mail carrier (transport of mail and people) that had a change point in Alto da Serra. The bridge is in urgent need of refurbishment and consolidation works. There is currently a bridge adjacent to it to connect Assentiz and Arrouquelas.

The monastery was founded in 1289 by D. Berengária Aires, maid of Queen Santa Isabel and wife of D. Rodrigo Garcia, in fulfillment of the testamentary wish of her mother, D. Sancha Pires. The works resulted from the joint initiative of the founder and the Holy Queen, the latter having ordered the construction of the cloister and the infirmary. After the completion of the works, the queen continued to express interest in the monastery, leaving it around a thousand pounds in her will. The date of completion of the works is unknown, only knowing that, when the founder died in 1210, they had not yet been completed. After the extinction of the religious orders, in 1834, the monastery was progressively abandoned, entering a phase of dilapidation and destruction of its rich heritage that would last until almost the middle of the 20th century. Still in 1910, the church was vandalized and robbed, with tiles, paintings and a portico that existed in the Chapter House missing. In the 50s of the 20th century, the state of degradation that the complex had reached led to the replacement of the vaulted roof of the central nave with the current wooden ceiling. The organ and the coat of arms on the main portico had already been dismantled, while the building attached to the church was transformed into a cowshed. Since then, the complex has been the subject of extensive restoration work, which seeks to restore, as much as possible, some of its original characteristics.

“Paul Natura”, Manique do Intendente https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nKhlLvOrJw

Paúl de Manique do Intendente is an area of around 97,000 square meters that constitutes a very rich natural heritage of great importance in terms of biodiversity, namely in terms of avifauna, already recognized at national level. It is an ecosystem composed of more than 180 species, where you can find 5 "simply unique" species such as the striped tortoise, the common caiman, the otter, the black stork and the reed. The municipality has been focusing on promoting this space, having recently advanced with the installation of an infrastructure for the observation of the fauna and flora of Pául, which aims to promote knowledge, protection and preservation of this unique and so rich ecosystem for the Municipality of Azambuja and for the entire region.

very pleasant landscape, it is recommended

The Salinas de Rio Maior are located about 3 km from the city center and are located in a valley at the foot of the Serra dos Candeeiros, in the heart of the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park. Classified as a Property of Public Interest since December 1997, these are the only inland salt pans in Portugal, and the only ones that are fully operational in Europe. The first reference to its existence dates from 1177, but it is thought that the use of rock salt would have been made since prehistoric times.