Crafts and chanfana: a visit to Vila Nova de Poiares

1 brewery · 1 venue

Vila Nova de Poiares lies in the Coimbra district, in a wide bowl ringed by the Serra do Carvalho and the Serra de São Pedro Dias, with the Mondego and Alva rivers along its edges. People have lived here since the Neolithic: a dolmen high on the Serra de São Pedro Dias, a classified national monument, bears witness to it. Records mention a Roman bridge at "Murcella", on one of the main roads linking Coimbra with Bobadela, and Moorish legends and place names such as Moura Morta, Toca da Moura and the Mouras Encantadas recall a later presence. Documents of the Lorvão Monastery show villages here from the 8th and 9th centuries, and old records mention hillforts used to watch over river traffic. The municipality had a bumpy start: it lost territory in 1855 and was abolished twice, in 1866 and 1895, before being restored for good on 13 January 1898, a date still celebrated as the municipal holiday. In 1905 King Carlos raised Santo André de Poiares to the status of town, and the municipality received its coat of arms in 1938. Poiares has a long tradition of crafts, from black pottery and decorated toothpicks to basket-making, weaving, tinwork and stonemasonry, celebrated each year at the Poiartes crafts fair organised by the council. At the table, look for chanfana, along with arroz de bucho and negalhos, the local dishes the council highlights.

Craft beer in Vila Nova de Poiares is still a rare find, which makes tracking down a local glass part of the adventure. After a day of mountain views, old crafts and a hearty plate of chanfana, ask around for something freshly brewed.