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Vidago

Just over an hour's drive from the city of Porto, Vidago is located in the north-west Transmontano, 16 km from the town of Chaves. It is located in a huge depression, described by the Alvão and Padrela Hills, where the Avelames River and the Ribeira de Oura meet. To the north is the Pico de Santa Bárbara, a place of great nationalist past. The geographical condition gives the village a pleasant microclimate with moderate winds, which allows the practice of outdoor activities during practically the whole year.

Etymologically formed from Vitis with the noun agrum, Vidago is probably associated with the cultivation of the vines, activity of extreme importance in remote times. Vitis agrum would designate field or land of vine that of the popular Latin would evolve to Vidiado, giving rise later to the toponym Vidago. The town registers its settlement much earlier than the twelfth century, but its topography propitious to strategic defense, archeology, the wealth of the region in mineral waters so desired by the Romans and the toponymy itself, are facts that incite some historians to admit their settlement in pre-Roman times. There are even those who maintain that Vidago was a spa resort of the time of the Romans, who there made their healings and point of passage of a commercial route that united the old city Aquae Flaviae to others of the Iberian Peninsula.

Until the discovery of the therapeutic properties of its alkaline waters in 1863, Vidago was a small village, irrelevant in continental geography, that belonged to the parish of Arcassó until passing the town on June 20, 1925. It became in the early twentieth century a a tourist village of excellence, the main tourist resort of Portugal, among the main ones of the Iberian Peninsula, destination of choice of Portuguese and European aristocracy, in search of the therapeutic properties of the famous waters. At the time, doctors prescribed water as a therapeutic method and urged patients to the water path. The waters of Vidago, naturally carbonated, began to be bottled in 1886 and are still today considered the best bottled waters of the Iberian Peninsula.

The great patrimony of Vidago is among its people, people with the merit of recognizing it in others, a history full of benefactors who gave names to streets, squares and avenues to which statues and monuments were erected, tributes of the people to the people.
Its waters, discovered occasionally in 1863 by Manuel de Sousa, are the wealth of the village, the due gift of nature for the respect of its people. Of unique properties in the Iberian Peninsula, they have given Vidago the visibility of today and can still be proved directly in one of the three fountains that surface in the Vidago Palace park.
Due to its history, geographical condition and the quality of its courses, golf takes on a prominent role, among other sporting activities in the village. Practiced in Vidago since 1936 and internationally recognized, it is today intrinsic in the everyday life of the village and inseparable from its roots.
The prestigious thermal waters that retain therapeutic virtues, in their highly concentrated and naturally carbonated form, the buildings "belle époque" style along peaceful alleys, the freshness of centenaries and verdant landscapes, its people, its history and customs, the architecture and gastronomy make of Vila de Vidago a haven of excellence, a place of rest, healing and leisure.

Archaeological Legacy

Just 16 km from the ancient Roman city of Aquae Flaviae, this is a region of enormous archaeological wealth dispersed by places that retain the characteristics of a remote epoch, and which offer us the opportunity to look at a past framed in a traditional everyday of welcoming people. Rock carvings, castros, aras, stelae, millennial landmarks and monuments attest to the authenticity of a fertile region in archeology and other historical values.
The museum of the Flavian Region, located in one of the most emblematic monumental complexes that make up the historic center of the city of Chaves, is a testimony of the passage through these lands of Iberians, Romans and Arabs. The Roman bridge of sixteen arches over the river Tâmega and the ruins of a 14th century castle in the historical center of Chaves are examples of this heritage that encourages history lovers to visit the region.

Douro Valley

The birthplace of Port wine is a masterpiece of nature and human endeavor. Between the Barqueiros and the Spanish border, with a warm and dry climate, the Douro valley is mainly river, vineyard, grandiose landscapes and a millenarian history linked to the cultivation and production of Port wine, with its hills covered with vineyards grown on terraces , in ravines and ravines ripped by the Douro, which occasionally give rise to large basins and calm waters surrounded by mountainous scenarios. An imposing landscape that varies throughout the year, with the reds and golds of the vineyards in the autumn and the rosy white of almond blossoms in February and March. Visitors wishing to explore the region will find breathtaking views of the mountains, while river cruises are a quieter tourist option.

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