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Duoro valley near Barca de Alva.
Almeida - fortifications.
Almeida - entrance to village.
An ancient graveyard's towerDon't miss this one!
"Almeida"
Almeida is a small village in near Guarda and Vilar Formoso border. Believe me, it's a wonderful little fortified village to visit a any time! It's considered one of the most well preserved historical places of Portugal and it's somewhat similar to Óbidos, because most of the houses are inside the fortified walls.
This region of Portugal has ben fought with Spain lots and lots of times. The 18th centry walls form a very interesting and wonderful star (seen from air, or a map). With a capacity for something like 5000 soldiers, the town suffered hundreds of sieges. Almeida fell to the French in January of 1808, but just a couple of months later, the Portuguese took again Almeida. French Armies returned two years later and the Portuguese army, with English allied troops, held the town for something like 20 days until a barrel of gunpowder accidentaly destroyed part of the walls, and the town fell, again, to French troops. Just in 1911 Almeida returned to portuguese domain.
