This scene warranted a “stop the car!” moment when we were in Peneda-Gerês National Park last month. We were driving towards the village of Pitões das Junias at the eastern side of the park near the border to Spain when I spotted the village of Ponteira at 1000m altitude, surrounded by rock. The villages in this region (Montalegre, Vila Real) are quite remote, and where Ponteira is situated is particularly dramatic, with a mountain range behind it and rock formations all around.
We didn’t stop in the village because we were running short on daylight, but I hope to get a closer look on a future road trip. I’ve said this many times before on this blog, but it bears repeating: Portugal may appear small on a map, but it’s packed with sights. Explore the country by vehicle. You’ll have plenty of “stop the car!” moments in random places.
For more pictures of Peneda-Gerês National Park, see my Flickr tag.
See also the house built into boulders in Fafe (near Guimarães), here and here.
March 12, 2017
Album: Peneda-Gerês National Park, Portugal
