Towns and Villages

There are many explanations for this town's curious name (literally it means "Ash-tree girded with sword"). Some say that it was derived from the name of a Gothic nobleman called "Espadacinta"; others say that it comes from the coat of arms of a Leonese nobleman that bore both an ash-tree and a sword; whilst yet others attribute it to a legend claiming that when D. Dinis, the king of Portugal, founded the town in the fourteenth century, he tied his sword to an ash-tree before leaning against it to rest.

Located in the Douro demarcated wine region, this part of the country is particularly beautiful in the spring when the almond-trees are in blossom. An excellent view of the landscape can be enjoyed from the top of Penedo Durão, from where it is possible to see over an area that stretches well beyond the Spanish border.