Amadora in the shadow of the aqueduct

Amadora, bordering Lisbon, was the first municipality created after the 1974 revolution. Walk beneath the arches of the 18th-century Águas Livres Aqueduct, see the prehistoric Carenque burial caves, visit a tile-lined artist's house and trace the town's early aviation history.

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Amadora, which borders Lisbon, became a municipality on 11 September 1979 and a city a week later. It was the first municipality created after the 25 April 1974 revolution; before that it had been a parish of Oeiras since 1916.

For centuries this was a landscape of wheat fields and manor houses, whose farmers, millers and bakers supplied the capital. The town council calls the Águas Livres Aqueduct an impressive work of 18th-century Portuguese engineering. It was ordered by João V in 1731 and begun the following year; about 8 km of its 14 km main course run through Amadora, and in the parish of Águas Livres it forms 19 arches, the tallest 18 metres high. Much older are the Carenque burial caves, three collective tombs cut into the limestone at the end of the 4th or start of the 3rd millennium BC, discovered and excavated in 1932 and a National Monument since 1936.

The railway to Sintra arrived in 1887, and in 1907 a decree of King Carlos united the localities of Porcalhota, Amadora and Venteira under the single name of Amadora. Early 20th-century residents dreamt of a garden city, and the town council traces the start of Portuguese aviation to Amadora: a kite contest in July 1912, the first aeroplane to land here in January 1913 and the first air festival in 1917. For about a quarter of a century, several of Portugal's most important pioneering flights set off from Amadora, including the 1924 flight of the Pátria to Macau.

Visit the Casa Roque Gameiro, built between 1898 and 1901 for the watercolourist Alfredo Roque Gameiro and his family. Its interior is lined with tiles, including a naturalistic pattern by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro in the dining room. Since 1990 the town council has also organised Amadora BD, a festival devoted to Portuguese and international comics.

Craft beer in Amadora is still a rare find, which makes tracking down a local glass part of the adventure. After a walk along the aqueduct arches, ask around for something freshly brewed.

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Frequently asked questions

Yes. About 8 km of the aqueduct's 14 km main course run through Amadora, and in the parish of Águas Livres it forms 19 arches, the tallest 18 metres high. Ordered by João V in 1731 and begun the following year, it is described by the town council as an impressive work of 18th-century engineering.

They are three collective tombs cut into the limestone at the end of the 4th or start of the 3rd millennium BC. Discovered and excavated in 1932, they have been a National Monument since 1936. They recall a landscape that, for centuries, later became wheat fields and manor houses supplying the capital.

The town council traces the start of Portuguese aviation to Amadora: a kite contest in July 1912, the first aeroplane to land here in January 1913 and the first air festival in 1917. For about a quarter of a century, several of Portugal's most important pioneering flights set off from here, including the 1924 flight to Macau.

It is the house built between 1898 and 1901 for the watercolourist Alfredo Roque Gameiro and his family. Its interior is lined with tiles, including a naturalistic pattern by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro in the dining room. It makes a good stop after walking beneath the arches of the aqueduct.