Regua to Caldas de Aregos

Friday April 12 Regua to Caldas de Aregos. 

In the morning we travel to the town of Lamego with origins before the Roman occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, Lamego is known for its historic city center, having a long history as a principal city of the former Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Province.The most significant moment in the town's history was in 1139, when nobles declared Afonso Henriques to be Portugal's first king.

Stairway to Our Lady of the Remedies cathedral

First to Our Lady of the Remedies cathedral can be visited by way of a theatrical stairway that climbs Monte de Santo Estêvão (St Stephen’s Hill) to this 18th-century Baroque and Rococo sanctuary. Religious devotees have been braving the climb since at least the 1300s. The journey is half the fun, and requires 686 steps via nine landings and is enriched with tile panels, chapels, fountains, obelisks and statues. You can catch your breath on the nine patios, and one, the “Pátio dos Reis”, has the images of the 18 kings of Israel. Also on this upper terrace is a chestnut tree more than 700 years old and cloaked in ivy. After, we stop by for Bolas de Lamego which are varieties of ham, cheese and fish in a corn bread. We had ours with the local sparkling wine at Casa Do Presunto.

Our Lady of the Remedies cathedral

 Then we visit  the Museu de Lamego which is loaded with precious painting, sculpture, goldsmithing, tiles, archaeology, furniture and liturgical artefacts from many eras. A lot of these works were gathered by the Bishops of Lamego, but the collection has been expanded in the 80 years that the museum has been open.

Museu de Lamego

In the Afternoon we visit The Mateus Palace located in the civil parish of Mateus, municipality of Vila Real, Portugal which was built in the first half of the eighteenth century by Antonio Jose Botelho Mourao, 3rd Morgado of Mateus. It replaced the family home existing on site in the early seventeenth century. In 1911 it was classified as a National Monument. The baroque architecture of Italian style, is attributed to Nasoni for consistency of style and resemblance to other his works. The sculpture of John Cutileiro, sleeps on the lake since 1981, is now a part of the House image. The Palace is surrounded by a fantasy garden with tiny bushes, statues, and quiet walkways.

The Mateus Palace

We then cruise down river to dock at Calas de Aregos for the night. It’s about 90 km from the city of Porto. It has a unique natural scenic beauty. It is said that first King of Portugal was here treated, in its sulphurous waters. Every year thousands visit here from all over the country, for various treatments such as: rheumatism, respiratory diseases, skin diseases, etc. For us it’s another wine paired dinner from Pasterick winery. A meal that was a little off, maybe due to ghosts rumored to live in the village.

Cruising to Calas de Aregos