Hiking up to a Traditional Fairytale Schist Mountain Village in Lousã Portugal

We hiked up from the magical Lousã Castle, past a stream and waterfalls to a truly delightful "Xisto" (schist) stone village (Aldeia do Xisto) located in the serra da Lousã, (Lousa mountain range) central Portugal, set in the Coimbra district.
The region itself was settled since prehistoric times, and people escaping the invasions in the Roman occupied Conimbriga, would often seek refuge in the hills, but the schist villages themselves mostly grew during medieval times, created for farming purposes (cattle, goats), religious sanctuaries and commercial routes.
In the 20th century the villages were mostly abandoned until between 2000 and 2002 when the "Aldeias do Xisto" restoration and preservation project was created. Over the years, the villages were restored using traditional methods and made accessible to the public. The villages are now tourist attractions, offering accommodation, eating and drinking establishments and some people permanently reside there.
"Talasanal" is one of 12 scattered, traditional schist villages in the Serra da Lousa region, accessible by mountain trails or by car. We chose to walk up over 2 kms along the winding, narrowing trail. Along the way we were met with various points of spectacular views over the valley, to Lousa town, and the castle below, and of the chapel and shrine.
It was a long and somewhat difficult trail, since it does narrow in many places and you do need good hiking shoes. For easier access you can drive up to the village and park just outside it. Cars cannot drive through the villages themselves because the old roads are too narrow, but the village itself is small and easy to walk through in a short time.
In the village, we saw a couple of restaurants and many of the houses themselves are also available as holiday rentals.
The area is truly a magical region of Portugal and we were happy to see native trees and vegetation. An unspoiled natural area rich in wildlife and diversity that we hope will always be preserved that way.. We plan to return and visit the other villages at some point...
• A Delicious Sunny Day ...
• Amazing Walk Along the...
#fairytale #centralportugal #lousã #lousamagica #hikingroutes #portugaltourism #travel #nature #visitportugal #portugal #centralportugal #portugallife #castelos #praia #village #mountainvillagelife

[@ervinslens]

This looks great my friend, such s lovely scenery!

[@OffTheBeatenTrack7]

Yes, it is lovely 😊

[@harmanjot4943]

❤❤

[@OffTheBeatenTrack7]

😊🥰