Activities

(...) Built by two families from the village. The date of its construction is uncertain, being similar to the well-known Roman aqueducts. This structure was used to divert water from the Águeda River, supplying the agricultural fields on the river’s left bank. It is currently out of use.

A traditional mountain village located in one of the slopes of the Serra do Caramulo. It mostly consists of small granite houses, with sloped roofs and very narrow streets. The inhabitants of this village live off subsistence farming and animal husbandry and wear dark wool cloaks to protect themselves from the cold and rain.

 

The biggest attraction of S. João do Monte is a beautiful river beach, in the heart of the parish, with magnificent grassy areas and lots of shade. A bridge, of Roman design, highlights a beautiful setting in which there is no lack of benches and tables made of good stone for the convenience of beach-goers. It has nautical support and toilets. Pets are not allowed.

Terras de Granito Trail
Mills Route
Santiago Route
Crosses Route
Flax Route
Culverts Route
Orange Groves Route

Caramulinho

It is the highest point in the Serra do Caramulo, with an altitude of 1075 meters. Go on an adventure and climb a stone staircase, with about 300 wide and firm steps with easy access. Along the way there are picnic tables. When you reach the top you will glimpse a breathtaking landscape. On clear days you can see the Serra da Estrela, the Serra da Lapa, the Serra de Montemuro the Aveiro Lagoon and the sea. Suitable for kids and adults.

The Dolmen of Arca
Arca can be very proud of having one of the symbols of the megalithic culture of the Oliveira de Frades municipality and of all the Serra do Caramulo: the widely known dolmen of Arca.
This monument consists of three blocks in an approximately vertical position (pillars), with some others now broken, on which rests a large capstone (or table) covering the interior area. It measures about 4.5 meters high and the table is 4.20 by 3.20 meters.

The church of St. Mary of Guardão, once dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, has undergone some transformations over time. However, its original layout fits within the canons of the Romanesque style, from the 12th century, as evidenced by the structural elements of the religious temple. The portal is defined by a round-turned arch, with no decorative elements.

The medieval bell tower, which stands in the center of the façade, has two windows ending in a perfect arch similar to the portal. The triangular profile of its finish bears a cross patté. The body of the church has been altered, with the left elevation having an attachment that functions as a sacristy. The right elevation shows the moving of the side door, the result of the temple's increase in length and height. In this elevation, you can also see two podomorphs (prehistoric art) engraved on a granite block on the wall.

ACERT
Cultural and Recreational Association of Tondela (Associação Cultural e Recreativa de Tondela)

Established in 1979, ACERT soon assumed itself as the bearer of a multidisciplinary sense of performance, in terms of artistic areas, with its creative side grounded in the core that originated it: The TRIGO LIMPO ACERT theater.

This uniqueness (a theater group being the genesis of an association), characterizes the dynamics of ACERT, decisively influencing its evolution: the growth of a transversal project, in terms of the promotion of performances; artistic training and production, sustained by a team that, through theatrical professionalization, guarantees its operability, in terms of the management of a continuous project of permanent programming.

A magnificent urbanistic work endowed with unique infrastructures in Portugal, at the time. In 1938 it already had running water, an exemplary urban sewage system and respective treatment plant, a garbage collection system with an incinerator, electricity produced from its own hydroelectric power plant, as well as an uncommon urban planning, having wide roads with sidewalks, green areas and public gardens of incomparable beauty and in a never seen before dimension. It is in this setting that, in 1921 and 1923, Dr. Jerónimo de Lacerda's two sons, Abel and João, were born.

Aware that the progress of medicine would dictate the end of Caramulo as a treatment center, Abel, who had embarked on a career in economics, and his brother João, a doctor, began to look for ideas that would ensure the survival of their hometown and the continuation of the work they had inherited. They decided to plan the transformation of the existing structures into mountain tourism facilities and remove from the name Caramulo its association with disease, converting the mountain scenery into a center of cultural and artistic attraction.