Located on an escarpment only a few miles from Spain, Marvão is completely surrounded by walls dating from the 13th to the 17th century.
Seen from below we think that the sights must be spectacular.
Right. They are.
Also in location there’s a church from the 15th century.
The site
There are two ways to appreciate Marvão – one of them is entering the castle. You may enjoy its details and the wide sights across border. Good to confirm that Portugal and Spain are only conventional designations for the same landscape.
The other one is from distance with the castle topping the ridge, as a sentinel guarding the hills, where “progress” is the pretext to some visual offenses..
The castle
Marvão is a very small city, inside walls, with a very well preserved image that justified the privilege of being considered UNESCO heritage.
The location, upon very steep hills, allowed it a very important role in Portuguese history, after being conquered by our first king.
Disputed and temporarily occupied by Spanish and French, it was also relevant in Portuguese civil war in the 19th century.
Marvão from below
Several times I passed in the road to/from Spain, always saying to myself – you must get time to go up and see the castle of Marvão.
One day, I got it.
The castle is really nice, the views are gorgeous, but my strong sensation keeps connected to the view from below – the remains perched in the cliffs are a challenge to imagination, and a call to the memories of the hard old times.
However… don’t skip the visit.
