The best cycling routes around Assentiz

Óbidos Lagoon is the largest coastal lagoon system in Portugal and a popular destination for those seeking nature and outdoor activities. Located in the Leiria district, about 85 km from Lisbon, the lagoon connects the towns of Óbidos and Caldas da Rainha to the Atlantic Ocean.

Salt is extracted from shallow, concrete or stone pans of varying sizes, where saltwater drawn from a well is conveyed through ditches. Currently, the water is pumped by a motor and distributed according to a system that is generally accepted and respected (not always) by all the owners. Drainpipes, threshing floors, and wooden salt storage houses complete the complex known as the Rio Maior Salt Pans. According to technicians, a large and deep rock salt mine, traversed by an underground stream that feeds a well, makes the extracted water salty, seven times saltier than seawater. The salt is obtained from its exposure to the sun and wind, and the resulting evaporation of the water. This salt is deposited at the bottom of the pans, which are then piled up in pyramid-shaped heaps to dry until harvest. The process is rudimentary and similar to that used in seaside salt mines. 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 you breathe.

On clear days, visibility is very clear. You can see the Berlengas Islands straight ahead, Peniche on the left, and São Martinho do Porto on the right. You can stop, breathe, listen to the sounds of the surrounding flora and fauna, and walk the 800-meter wooden walkway at Foz do Arelho.

Penedo Furado dates back to the Jurassic period, when the sea bathed this inland area, close to Nadadouro. It is now a huge rock, light brown in colour and on the side facing the Óbidos Lagoon, signs of erosion are visible, with deep cavities and one of them ended up going through the rock, forming a passage.

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.

Just three kilometres from Rio Maior, on the southern tip of the Serra dos Candeeiros, lie the only inland salt pans in Portugal, and the only ones still active in the whole of Europe. Surrounded by vineyards and cultivated fields, they are a true wonder of nature, as the sea is 30 kilometres away. Their history dates back to at least 1177, but it is said that rock salt has been mined since prehistoric times. The water, seven times saltier than that of the ocean, emerges from a well after passing through an underground deposit, leaving behind the pure vestige of an ancient sea.

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.

Founded in the year 970 of the Christian era (which is why it is currently considered an ancient town), during the reign of the Moorish king D. Ramiro III, it was first given the name of al-quniTrâ”, a diminutive of “al-qanTarâ”, or Alcântara, which means – the small bridge. Alcoentre received its first charter from D. Afonso Henriques in the city of Coimbra, in October 1174, and became the oldest administrative unit and local district in the municipality of Azambuja. Since Alcoentre was registered by the Crown, it remained “land of the king” (or land of the king) until D. Dinis. During this reign, it ceased to be land of the king, also known as Lavrador, and began a long journey as land of private manorial jurisdiction. This charter was reformulated by D. Manuel in Lisbon, on 26 September 1513.