Ansião in central Portugal is a typical rural town with narrow cobbled
streets and a weekly market. Ansião, around 40 minutes south of the
impressive city of Coimbra, is nestled behind the Serra da Alvaiázere. It is 20 kilometers from the main Portuguese railway and the main Portuguese motorway.
This central location is enhanced by its natural conditions, where a huge limestone massif gives it unique landscapes and very well preserved sites, allowing the practice of leisure activities, especially hiking, observing plants and birds and bike rides.
History
Located
between the Nabão River and the Serra de Sicó massifs, the town of
Ansião has been occupied since pre-History and has memorial and heritage
registries from Roman and Arab times.
Located
between the Nabão River and the Serra de Sicó massifs, the town of
Ansião has been occupied since pre-History and has memorial and heritage
registries from Roman and Arab times. It
received its charter in 1142 and, in 1175, was first mentioned on
official documents. However, it was because of the administrative reform
carried out during the reign of King Manuel that Ansião received its
second charter and a time of prosperity began, which culminated when
King Afonso VI elevated it to the category of town after the Portuguese
Restoration.
At the town’s centre, you can visit the Matriz Church, with its Baroque door, have a rest in the stairs of the 16th century
pelourinho from which you can enjoy the view to the Palace of the
Ericeira Counts which is nowadays the town hall, or cross the Cal Bridge
above the Nabão River. You should also visit the Monumental Complex of
Santiago da Guarda, located at the old Castelo Melhor Counts palace
which has a medieval tower and a Late Roman villa dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries. You will certainly be impressed by its wonderful mosaics.
There are many historical and cultural traces near-by awaiting your
visit: the Atalaia and Alto do Pisca tapirs and the Alto do Pisca or the
hill fort of Escampado de S. Miguel, the medieval oven which has been
used in the town of Avelar for centuries and the beautiful retable
painted by José Malhoa in 1933 to decorate the main altar of the Chão de
Couce Matriz Church.
At the end of your visit delight your taste
with local delicacies. Taste Rabaçal cheese accompanied with Terras de
Sicó wine while you wait patiently for a generous portion of roasted
lamb or cacholada (a stew made of pig lungs, liver, blood and fat).
Parishes
Parishes
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 6 civil parishes (freguesias):
For more information on Ansião:
http://www.cm-ansiao.pt/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansi%C3%A3o
Information retrieved from:
http://www.descubra-ansiao.com/pic/conteudo/PR3_flyer.pdf
http://www.centerofportugal.com/ansiao/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansi%C3%A3o
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