How many shades of green can you find in a single landscape (which is also a unique landscape)? Verdelhos, planted in a valley between two hills next to the Bejames River, defies the imagination. In addition to the vast color palette of nature that surrounds the village (from these shades of green the name of the land is derived), there are walking trails to discover, a river beach and a dam to refresh and natural and architectural heritage to discover in Verdelhos.
The village in the northeast of the municipality of Covilhã, the locals jokingly call “New York”: Verdelhos may not have the cosmopolitanism of the most populous city in the United States of America, but it has a history as old or older, with origins in Roman times (there are archaeological remains of a Luso-Roman fort) and views with much more than skyscrapers to observe. Of note, on the one hand, is the Aguilhão (large rock formation that rises from the bed of the Bejames River) and, on the other hand, the Capela de São Romão (built at the gates of the place to serve as a barrier to the entrance of wild dogs, at a time when a plague was ravaging the village).
Today, along with metalwork and carpentry, the people of the land continue to dedicate themselves mainly to traditional tasks: agriculture (corn, potatoes and beans) and livestock (cattle and goats) – after all, those who are born in the midst of so much green, never loses connection with nature.
Mountain Villages