Amarante is a beautiful town on the river Tamega, a tributary of the Douro. The best way to get there is by taking the Wye Valley line from Porto and changing on to the branch line at Livração [don’t blink or you might miss it!]

You can enjoy sitting by the river for a picnic lunch and watching the innumerable yellow wagtails and women washing long carpets in the river and stretching them out to dry.  

An interesting monument in  Amarante is the Bridge on the River Tâmega, built on the XIII century. An other ancient monument of notable interest is the convent of São Gonçalo, tied up to an ancient popular tradition: on the first Saturday of June takes place a pilgrimage in honour of the Saint, patron of the fiancés .During the party the fiancés give one another some typical sweetmeat as a present. In the old times the girls went to beg the Saint to find them a husband! Actually they do it now too!

 

 Enjoy photos on http://viajar.clix.pt/com/fotos.php?r=&d=&c=53&lg=en