5 reasons to visit Pampilhosa da Serra

Here, where the Unhais and the Zêzere rivers wind through the mountains, nature was generous and people did the rest. We give you 5 reasons to hit the road and get to know Pampilhosa da Serra.   The name of the town and the council says it all. This is a mountainous area, located in the middle of the central mountain range. From the valley of the Santa Luzia dam to the top of the beautiful village of Fajão, there is a whole territory to discover. We have chosen five reasons to know Pampilhosa da Serra, but we could suggest many others.

The fluvial beaches

The first time we come across Pampilhosa da Serra it is its roofs that we discover, that the village is set in a deep valley where the river Unhais runs. When we get there, we discover – right in its centre – a beautiful fluvial beach, with green spaces, changing rooms and sun loungers waiting for us.

In the village of Pessegueiro, the beach of clear waters of the river with the same name, is divided between the wall of one of the margins and the green of the grass in the other margin, which we reach by crossing a small wooden bridge.

Janeiro de Baixo beach is quite different. With an extensive sandy beach and shady spaces achieved with beautiful parasols, the beach is next to the camping site where it is possible to rent canoes to calmly navigate the Zêzere.

Also with a special character is the fluvial beach of the Santa Luzia dam. Right at the foot of the viewpoint and served by an extensive sandy beach, in the water there is a “swimming pool” that invites you to bathe safely. It has a cycle track, a fitness circuit and a picnic park, and there’s good food nearby, but that’s a story to be told later.

Schist Villages

They call it the precious stone because it gives the villages a special atmosphere. There are two schist villages located in the territory of Pampilhosa da Serra. Both beautiful, they couldn’t be more different, even for their location. While Janeiro de Baixo is located in the valley of Zêzere, Fajão is perched on top of the mountain, where the vegetation is already low.

Janeiro de Baixo is a beautiful village that still preserves much of its ancestry. The central nucleus of the village has much to see. From the memory of the ironing trunk, where the animals were “shoed”, to the parish house or the Mother Church. But it’s really good to walk through the narrow streets, discover the schist houses and talk to people.

Fajão is completely different. Here, the schist houses show that this wasn’t just the material used to build the poorest houses. There are good schist houses and lots to see, always with a beautiful mountain landscape as a backdrop. You can visit the main church and the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Guia, the handicraft shop and even the swimming pools.

Gastronomy

The municipality of Pampilhosa da Serra has a rich traditional gastronomy and proposals of restaurants to be considered. As far as traditional dishes are concerned, we are in an area where the chanfana and the maranho, the cozido and the cabrito coexist, but it is in the soups that tradition is most felt: chestnut broth, botelha soup, green bean soup or cabbage soup are some of the most common, and there is not a restaurant that does not have at least one of them.

In the town, the restaurant of the modern Villa Pampilhosa Hotel offers a cuisine where the traditional and the more modern proposals are mixed, and in the fluvial beach of Santa Luzia the traditional cuisine is carefully treated in the restaurant As Beiras.

Not being a restaurant, Casa de Santo Antão offers its guests one of the best breakfasts we have ever tasted in our life from one place to another. But that’s not all. Leonor Coelho serves excellent traditional meals on request, which we highly recommend.

The landscape

The landscape by itself is worth the trip to Pampilhosa da Serra. From the valleys to the mountain tops, through wooded areas or more undergrowth, here it is possible to see the meanders of the Zêzere or the impressive views to lose from the Picoto Cebola.

Arriving at Penedos de Fajão and watching the sun go down and the mountains turn blue tones is one of those experiences that stay in your memory.

The museums and the churches

In these territories it is the baroque that reigns, but the religious heritage of Pampilhosa da Serra is varied, even if it is not very extensive. The town and the various villages have their Mother Church and all of them are worth a visit. In Fajão, one should also visit the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Guia.

And there are several museological spaces in the municipality. The Municipal Museum, being small, has recently had its exhibition remodelled and is simple but very interesting, and should be an obligatory point on an itinerary through this municipality of the Pinhal Interior. In Fajão you can also find the curious Rally Museum and the more traditional Monsenhor Nunes Pereira Museum.

These are only 5 reasons to know Pampilhosa da Serra, a municipality that is worthwhile.