Loriga

Located at an altitude of 770 metres, on the southeast foothills of the Estrela Mountain, the small town of Loriga was, until 1855, the siege of the parish, with a town hall, a prison and a pillory. Its name comes from an armour. The valley is quite rich in historical vestiges (the romans, the sueves, the visigoths and the moors were there) and several archaeological vestiges remain: a man shaped grave, a roman bridge, a well preserved part of a roman road and a medieval balcony. Loriga is the main town in a lovely valley that was originated by a glacier and that begins in the heights of the Estrela Mountain (at 1991 metres) and falls abruptly to Vide (at 290 metres). Its 2000 inhabitants or so are farmers and cattle raisers mostly. There is aklso the wool industry, nonetheless. The mother church dates back to the 12th century but was severely damaged by the 1755 earthquake. A special note to the traditional water mills, the chapel of Our Lady of Carmo, the Redondinha manor, the Carreira crucifix, the Loriga gorges, the belvedere of Penha de Águia, the Penha dos Gatos (1768 metres high) and the village of Fontão. Loriga is prepared for mountaineering and skiing.The visitors may also camp at the town's park and taste the rgeion's delights: quijo da serra (serra/mountain cheese), roasted kid in the oven, beans with pork, sausages, arroz doce (sweet rice) with cream, papas de carolo and broinhas de leite.