Portugal: Costa Verde (Green Coast)

Overview

The Costa Verde is Portugal’s northernmost region bordering Galicia in Spain and includes the province of Minho and the coastal region of the Douro (Portugal’s smallest province). Minho is Portugal’s most unspoilt province where many villages remain lost in time and are virtually untouched by modern developments. The people even have their own dialect which has more in common with the Galician language spoken over the border in Spain than it does with Portuguese. Minho (which produces vinho verde or green wine) clings to its conservative rural traditions and many farmers still rely on ox-drawn carts and ploughs (the countryside is among the poorest in western Europe). It’s Portugal’s most beautiful province, noted for its verdant, densely wooded hills and lush river valleys fed by the Cavado, Douro, Lima and Minho rivers. Minho is also Portugal’s most colourful and lively province, famous for its local festivities and picturesque old towns full of quiet charm and interest. The region is a haven for hikers and nature lovers, particularly the 70,000 hectare Parc National de Peneda-Gerês, and is home to many rare plants and animals.

The region takes in Porto (Oporto in English), Portugal’s second largest city and its commercial centre, with a population of around 500,000. Magnificently situated on the banks of the Douro River (river of gold), it’s famous for its port wine lodges (fábricas) at Vila Nora de Gaia, where visitors can sample Portugal’s most famous wine. Porto (the birthplace of Prince Henry the Navigator, Portugal’s most famous seafarer) is Portugal’s most sophisticated, modern and best-developed city, and is acclaimed for its monuments, picturesque streets and spectacular graceful bridges. The grapes for port wine are grown on the land either side of the River Douro, which has one of the most beautiful valleys in Europe; a spectacular railway (opened in 1887) runs from Porto to Pinhão (150km/93mi), following the river for around half its journey.

Braga is the capital of Minho and the country’s ecclesiastical capital; it was once the seat of the Primate of Portugal and is dubbed the Rome of Portugal on account of its many churches, cathedral and archbishop’s palace. Guimarães was the first capital of Portugal in the 12th century and is known as the cradle of Portuguese independence. It’s the birthplace of King Alfonso Henríques, Portugal’s first king, who set out from here to re-conquer the south of the country from the Moors. The region has many picturesque fishing villages (including Caminha, Esposende and Ofir) and popular resorts which include Espinho (with one of the largest markets in Portugal), the once sleepy fishing village of Póvoa do Varzim (now a fashionable resort with a vibrant nightlife), Viana do Castelo (a major cultural centre noted for its pottery) and Vila do Conde (a handicrafts centre famous for its lace). The area is also famous for its fascinating market towns which include Barcelos (noted for its Thursday market) and the romantic town of Ponte de Lima, plus its many fortified towns, among the best of which are Monção, Melgaço and Valença (do Minho).

Porto has good rail and road connections (it’s linked to Lisbon by the A1 motorway) with the rest of the country and an international airport. Apart from Porto, which has a sizeable foreign community (particularly British expatriates working in the port wine industry), the Costa Verde isn’t well known among visitors from other countries and attracts few foreign homebuyers.

© Survival Books Limited 2002

“Buying a Home in Portugal” 2nd Edition, David Hampshire.

Reproduced with the permission of Survival Books Limited.

Further information on this topic can be found in “Buying a Home in Portugal” 2nd edition, by David Hampshire.

For extensive information about buying a property in Portugal, you can purchase this book at www.survivalbooks.net

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