Top 20 Natural Monuments in Viseu

Casa da Ínsua is a remarkable 18th-century Baroque palace located in Penalva do Castelo, near Viseu, famous for its magnificent gardens (French and English), its production of Dão wine, and its history linked to Brazil. It is currently a charming Parador hotel offering wine tourism, rural experiences, and a museum on the life of its builder, Luís de Albuquerque. More information about Casa da Insua here 👇🏻 https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_da_%C3%8Dnsua

Designated a National Monument since 1974, this structure retains the nine upright stones of its main chamber, which is three meters high, and the capstone (covering slab) practically intact. The access corridor to the chamber has 15 upright stones and preserves all the covering slabs, with the dolmen being inserted into a tumulus (or mound, which originally covered the entire stone structure of the monument) approximately 20 meters in diameter. Its construction is believed to have occurred during the Neolithic-Chalcolithic period (between the end of the Neolithic and the beginning of the Chalcolithic), corresponding to the end of the 4th millennium BC. The region where the Orca Dolmen is located shows traces of continuous human activity and occupation since the prehistoric period. It is situated in an area with orographic characteristics conducive to human settlement, being close to a watercourse (the Mondego River) and possessing vast hunting resources. We know that shepherding has been a source of livelihood and income for centuries for the populations of the region, situated on a livestock route between the highlands of the Serra da Estrela and the Mondego valley.

Beautiful rural road that passes through the Anta do Fojo, a very interesting place that in my opinion is worth a visit even if it initially appears hidden by vegetation. More information here👇🏻 https://www.vaiver.com/viseu/couto-de-cima-anta-1-da-lameira-do-fojo/

Coming from above (bus stop and sign for "Anta do Fojo"), from Lobaguerira, you can take this "gravel roundabout" and visit this very interesting Anta do Fojo: dating back to the megalithic period, between 2900 BC and 2640 BC. It's a polygonal chamber approximately 3.80 m in diameter and 2 m high, consisting of two vertical pillars leaning inward, one fallen and the other broken; a corridor with seven pillars on each side, one of which has fallen and is 7 meters long, covered and with two figures painted in red, one of which is holding a bow. ‼️Please note: the real entrance coming from here (bus stop) is just before the sign, climbing over the stones that border the road; this is the entrance to the Tomb/Dolmen. ‼️ If you're coming from below, Lombagueira will obviously be after the sign. More information here 👇🏻 https://www.vaiver.com/viseu/couto-de-cima-anta-1-da-lameira-do-fojo/

Suitable for gravel. Passes by the Anta do Fojo.

Beautiful view of the other side of the river.

This Orca/Anta is part of a tour circuit: PREHISTORIC CIRCUIT OF FIAIS/AZENHA in Carregal do Sal. https://www.cm-carregal.pt/pages/1027?poi_id=129 ORCA/ANTA from PALHEIRA is located in the megalithic nucleus of Fiais/Ameal. It is a monument of considerable size, which can be placed, architecturally, within the large group of monuments of Beira. It has a polygonal chamber with nine pillars, with an elongated corridor. However, its peculiar characteristics make this monument the rarest and most representative example of the circuit, given that at a somewhat later and yet to be determined period, a considerable barn was built around its central structure, which is part of that farm. Thus, the dolmen remained incorporated within it and was used as a dwelling until the 1970s.

At Portas de Montemuro, the landscape stretches out without limits. Here, tables and benches invite you to take a break and enjoy the view, while the national road 321, popular with cyclists, marks the 1,215 metres of altitude. The highest peak of the Montemuro mountain range, at 1,381 metres, is nearby, to the east. Nearby, the ruins of the Wall of Portas de Montemuro preserve echoes of a distant past. Mentioned in the Inquiries of 1258, they reveal traces of an ancient fortified settlement from the Iron Age, possibly linked to the Castro culture. Later, the site was reused by the Romans and, at the time of the Reconquista, by D. Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal.