Towns and Villages

This small inland town stands on a plateau in the region known as the "terra quente" (hot land), so called because of the scorching heat that is felt here throughout the summer.

It has recently gained international recognition as a result of the discovery nearby, along the banks of the River Côa, of a series of rock paintings and carvings dating back to the Upper Palaeolithic times. In fact, the River Côa valley is the only place known to exist in the world where such a large group of Palaeolithic figure drawings are visible in the open air, so that in 1998 these paintings and carvings were classified as world heritage by UNESCO.