Monsanto

Monsanto looks like a village that grew out of the hill. It sits on the slope of a steep granite outcrop in the north-east of the Idanha lands, and the houses are fitted in among enormous granite boulders. Some use a boulder as a wall, some shelter under one as a roof, and some have a rock squeezed between two neighbours. For children this is the fun: hunting for the places where the rock has become part of a house.

In 1938 Monsanto won a national competition as “the most Portuguese village in Portugal”, and in 1995 it became one of the official Historic Villages. It is small, free to wander and very steep. Plan on a half day, with the climb to the castle as the goal.

Monsanto is one of the geomonuments of the Naturtejo Geopark, a UNESCO Global Geopark. The Geopark explains that the granite formed deep underground about 310 million years ago. Over time, erosion stripped away the rock that covered it, and around 50 million years ago the granite started to stand out in the landscape. Today the hill, which geologists call an inselberg or “island mountain” (monte-ilha), rises more than 300 metres above the plain around it.

Water seeping into cracks slowly breaks granite down into sand, rounding off the corners of each block until it becomes a smooth boulder. That is why the hill is covered in rounded rocks, piles of jumbled boulders and hollows worn into the stone. On the Rota dos Barrocais trail you can see the Penedos Juntos, two pairs of huge rounded boulders balanced so they form little natural shelters between them.

This makes Monsanto a good place for a geology lesson children can touch. Ask them to find a boulder that is still splitting, a hollow full of rainwater and a rock that looks as if it might roll.

The walk starts at the Baluarte, the car park and viewpoint at the entrance to the village. From there the lanes lead past the parish church and, on the climb towards the castle, the old village bread oven. Look up at the clock tower, the Torre de Lucano, which is topped with a silver cockerel, the emblem of Monsanto’s “most Portuguese village” title. Two small chapels, Espírito Santo and Santo António, stand by two of the old fortified gates they are named after, and some grand houses still carry coats of arms, including those of the Counts of Monsanto.

The lanes are a maze of houses, haylofts and old pigsties built to follow the shape of the rock. Much of the village grew up here from the 15th century, as people moved down from the castle to lower ground.

King Afonso Henriques took Monsanto from the Moors and in 1165 gave it to the Knights Templar, who built the castle under their master, Gualdim Pais. It was later rebuilt and repaired several times, and in the 17th and 18th centuries it held out against Spanish sieges. In the 19th century an accidental explosion in the gunpowder store destroyed much of it.

What remains is the keep, a ring of walls with watchtowers, a cistern, the chapel of Santa Maria do Castelo and, just outside the walls, the ruined 12th-century chapel of São Miguel. On a flat rocky corner to the east, the ruins of the chapel of São João make a viewpoint over the countryside of Castelo Branco. Keep small children close here: the castle sits on a steep rocky slope.

There’s a legend for the imaginative. The village is said to have held out against a long siege, though nobody is sure whether the attackers were Romans or Moors. Every May the Festa de Santa Cruz remembers it. A procession climbs to the castle, pots filled with flowers are thrown from the castle walls, and women carry traditional rag dolls, the marafonas, to the top of the towers.

Families with older children who like a proper walk can follow the PR5 IDN Rota dos Barrocais, a marked 5 km trail that starts in Monsanto and passes the village, the Penedos Juntos boulders and the castle. The Geopark rates it moderate and allows about two hours. It suits children who are used to hiking; younger ones will do better going up to the castle and back.

Many of the lanes are steep, stony and uneven, so wear trainers with grip and carry toddlers in a carrier. In summer, go early or late in the day and bring plenty of water and sun hats.

The official pages don’t publish opening times for the village’s cafés, or list public toilets, so bring snacks and plan a stop before you arrive.

At the foot of the hill are two small extra stops. The Roman site of São Lourenço, probably a Roman villa with baths, has four granite tombs and a stretch of old paving. The Romanesque chapel of São Pedro de Vir-a-Corça, probably 13th century, has a round rose window and is where a medieval fair was held from 1308.

In Castelo Branco, the district capital, the Castelo Branco beach pool is a good summer cool-down. If your child loves hilltop villages with walls, Monsaraz in the Alentejo makes a good second one on another trip.

After the climb, the Piscinas Municipais de Idanha-a-Nova have a cheap outdoor pool from mid-June and an indoor pool for the rest of the year.

Is Monsanto suitable for young children?

Yes, if you carry them. The lanes are steep and rocky, so it is not a place for a buggy, but toddlers enjoy the boulders from a carrier and school-age children can walk up to the castle.

Is Monsanto free?

Yes. The village and the castle ruins are free to visit.

How long does it take to walk up to Monsanto castle?

The official pages don’t give a time. The village is small, but the climb to 758 metres is steep; allow a couple of hours for the village and castle at a child’s pace, and about two hours for the 5 km Rota dos Barrocais.

Can you drive into Monsanto?

Park at the Baluarte car park at the village entrance and walk from there. The lanes above are narrow and steep.

What is the silver cockerel in Monsanto?

It sits on top of the Torre de Lucano clock tower. The council calls it the emblem of Monsanto’s Portugueseness, from the 1938 contest that named it the most Portuguese village in Portugal.