Lost in central Portugal, the town of Monsanto is hidden under huge granite boulders. Cobblestones hanging over tiled roofs create amazing landscapes. Architecture of the city, from the 12th to the 19th centuries. which is the territorial center of the historical province of Beira Baixa, is a continuation of the spaces created by nature. The most high point The settlement is located at an altitude of 758 meters.
The narrow streets in Monsantu seem to be carved between boulders, and houses are sandwiched between rocky ledges. Over the eight centuries since the founding of the settlement, the urban terrain has changed little.
The boulders scattered throughout the city are still balancing on the elephant of the hill, as if at any second they are ready to fall into the abyss. In 1938, Monsanto was recognized as "the most Portuguese village in Portugal", where either stones are born from houses, or houses from stones.
Monsanto is a place recognizable far beyond the borders of Portugal from pictures with unusual buildings, a fortress built by the Templars
Monsanto is a town with a population of 931 people. The village was formed around the Brotherhood of Charity, founded in 1353.
People managed to adapt to the surrounding natural landscape and created houses using cobblestones as walls, ceilings, etc. Therefore, some houses look as if they are sandwiched by massive granite boulders.
After the village was awarded the title of “most Portuguese in Portugal” in a national competition, Monsanto became a living museum.
The settlement is very ancient; traces of human presence here have been recorded since the Paleolithic era. Yes, indeed, there is plenty of stone here, and not just any stone, but granite!
The town was founded in the 12th century. The residents made a fairly reasonable decision not to touch the large boulders, but to build up the space between them, under them, above them, in a word - everywhere, using stones as walls, roofs, foundations and the main building material. The result of the development was a unique intricacy of natural rock formations and human creations, as the locals say, “in Monsantu you never know where the stone ends and the house begins.”
Invent yourself stone tools, you don’t have to go far.
In the area, household items of primitive man were found, archaeologists were invited, they dug here and there and told the Monsantians that people had lived in these areas since Paleolithic times. They also found the presence of Iberians, Romans, Visigoths and Arabs.
The settlement was recaptured from the Moors by the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques. In 1165, the king donated the village of Monsant to the Knights Templar. The Templars built a fortress on the top of a hill, and in 1293 they rebuilt the fortress and built a defensive wall around it
The castle was actively used over the next eight hundred years, and there were many hunters to conquer it, but Monsantu showed himself to be a tough nut to crack.
The fortress has withstood changing eras and governments, climate change and generational changes, earthquakes and sieges,
This continued until the powder magazine accidentally exploded. The castle was slightly destroyed, but subsequently no one was involved in its restoration, and in this form it has been preserved to this day.
By the way, there is an interesting legend about the war in Monsantu, connected with the most significant local holiday.
Some year passed (historians are still confused), after 7 years of siege there was no food left in the castle at all, except for one cow and a bag of grain. The besieged sadly looked at the little cow, realizing that this last little beast would not delay their hour of death for long. And then some nameless woman came up with the most interesting idea - what if we showed the enemy that they had food lying around?
The townspeople, after consulting, decided to do so, since using a cow for meat and grain for flat cakes did not solve anything - it was still a skiff. So the cow was fed to its full with grain and, with a cheerful hooting, was thrown onto the heads of the enemy.
The bewildered enemy examined the arriving artiodactyl, especially its stuffed belly, and decided that it was pointless to continue the blockade, because if after seven years of isolation in Monsanto even cows are eaten for slaughter, then this siege will never end. The troops retreated and Monsanto was saved.
It is believed that this happened on May 3. On this day the “Day of the Holy Cross” is celebrated. A solemn procession, dressed in festive national costumes, marches towards the castle, carrying a white pot decorated with flowers, symbolizing a cow. After all sorts of rituals, just like how many years ago, the cow, that is, the pot in the modern version, flies from the castle wall to the ground.
The road to the castle, which is located just above the village. The ruins of the castle.
It turns out that the residents of Monsanto did not attach the sonorous slogan about “the most Portuguese ...” to themselves. In 1938, an all-Portuguese national competition was held for this “most-most”, or, in scientific terms, “authentic” settlement, and the winner’s laurel wreath, or rather a silver rooster, fell into the hands of the Monsantans. The rooster still adorns the clock tower in the middle of the village today (by the way, this is a copy). 
Regarding the title “The Most Portuguese Village in Portugal,” the opinions of the Portuguese themselves differ: some argue that Monsanto, on the contrary, is a village that is completely different from most Portuguese villages and received this title from the new government as fascist propaganda, they say, live simply and be simpler, use what nature gave you and you will be happy.
Others say that Monsanto is the only locality in a district that, despite repeated attempts by the French to conquer it, repelled numerous attacks, withstood lengthy sieges and remained Portuguese. Therefore, Monsanto is “the most Portuguese village in Portugal.”
Be that as it may, what we saw in Monsantu amazes the imagination: huge granite boulders and houses stuck to them, and on the stone houses there are bright spots of flowers, extraordinary landscapes that can be seen from the height of the hill, and even the inhabitants of this village themselves, leading a calm, measured life.
When you wander through the narrow cobbled streets, you can’t help but feel like you’re in fairytale city giants and now a huge head of some fairy-tale monster will appear from behind the rock.
Being among all this incomprehensibly fabulous, you ask yourself:
- Why did people even settle here? What brought him here, to a place where there is no reservoir, where there is not even land (!) and tomatoes have to be grown in pots! 
But the unpretentious and hardy fig, in search of sunlight, found a crack in the granite, turned green with carved leaves and is growing happily. 
Realizing that a fortress, for example, erected on the top of a mountain, was built without cars, tractors and lifts, you are amazed at the abilities of man and his ingenuity: how it was possible to lift and simply move a multi-ton colossus from its place, because stones were placed under some granite “balls”, to fix it in the desired position.
And the use of granite boulders as walls and ceilings - well, the need for invention is cunning - you can’t say it better or more accurately.
Monsanta is visited by hundreds of tourists every day; the greatest influx is in July and August. There are souvenir shops, cafes, restaurants and guest houses, where you can stay for a couple of nights. The cost of double rooms, decorated in a traditional style, with furniture from the 18th-19th centuries, starts from 55 euros, including breakfast and wireless Internet access. Located under a huge boulder, the Petiscos & Granitos restaurant is perhaps the most colorful in Monsanto. It serves local cuisine, predominantly using ingredients grown in the surrounding area, in keeping with the restaurant's concept of being an extension of the natural landscape.
The tourist office in Monsanto is open from 10:00 to 18:00; Lunch time is from 13:00 to 14:00. The information center is located on Rua Marquês da Graciosa.
Monsanto is located 277 kilometers northeast of Lisbon and 306 kilometers south of Porto. The medieval town can be reached via the A23 and A1 (E80) motorways when traveling from Lisbon and the A25 motorway when traveling from Porto. Free parking is located at the entrance to Monsanto.
From Lisbon, Porto and others major cities In Portugal you can get to Monsanto by public transport. True, with a transfer in the city of Castelo Branco. Rail services connect Lisbon and Porto to Castelo Branco; trains depart from 8:00 to 19:30 every hour. Travel time is about three hours from Lisbon (trains depart from Gare do Oriente station) and five hours from Porto.
You can also get to Monsanto by bus from Lisbon, Porto and other major cities in Portugal with a transfer to Castelo Branco. From Lisbon to Castelo Branco, the express train departs at 9:50 on weekdays and Saturdays, excluding holidays, and at 14:00 on weekdays from the Rodoviario de Seite Rios terminal, located next to the city zoo. Travel time from Lisbon is about two hours, from Porto - four and a half hours.
From Castelo Branco to Monsanto, buses depart daily at 12:25 (except Sundays and public holidays) and at 17:15 (except Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays), and on Sundays at 11:40 (and on Mondays if it is day off). Return flights depart daily at 7:15 am (except Sundays and public holidays), and on Sundays at 2:20 pm (and on Mondays if this is a public holiday). Travel time is about one and a half hours. The distance between the cities is 55 kilometers.
It’s better, of course, to go by car: your own or a rented one, or arrange a transfer or individual excursion with a private guide.
Even by car, the road is long and tiring, the trip is not cheap, because in addition to gasoline, you will also have to pay for highways, since on free roads the distance doubles and the speed decreases threefold.
But what you see live, and not in a photograph - a torn piece of the overall amazing impression - will compensate for all the costs: physical, time, and financial. 
some materials used: nessa-flame.livejournal.com
Monsanto is a small village in Portugal. It is located three hundred kilometers from Lisbon. Probably, each of us at least once came across unsurpassed photographs of this village with its extraordinary buildings. Surely, you saw the fortress built by the Templars or looked at the grandiose boulders.
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The village occupies a rather picturesque place on the slope of a mountain almost eight hundred meters high, and the name of this granite rock, to be precise, translates as “Holy Mountain”. The village was founded back in the twelfth century.
Local residents decided that the boulders represented historical value and during construction they built up the free space between them, in a word - the people used stones as walls, roofs, foundations and, in fact, as the main building material. And one cannot but agree with this, because the stone is nothing more than granite.
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All this makes you imagine an excerpt from some film about ancient people, about the formation of man, about his development, and go into deep philosophical thoughts. But this is not what our article is about. As a result, from under the firm but creative hand of man, the world saw unique buildings in which the grace of nature and the exquisite creativity of human hands are intertwined. Even the locals themselves say that it is impossible to tell where the stone ends and the hut begins.
Due to the lack of active archaeological excavations, a huge number of questions remain unanswered. But archaeologists are not embarrassed by this fact and they confidently claim that the Romans, as well as Lusitanians and Arabs, lived in this village. In turn, this is confirmed by the household items of primitive man found in the area. Archaeologists were invited, who carried out shallow excavations and came to the conclusion that people had lived in these areas since Paleolithic times.
In addition, it was the first king of Portugal who recaptured the settlement from the Moors. And here the Templars appear in history, to whom the king presented this village as a gift. It was they who built the above-mentioned fortress on the top of the hill, and they later rebuilt it, erecting a defensive wall around it.
Just imagine that this fortress has withstood more than one era, more than one leadership, generational changes, bad weather and even climate change. But unfortunately in the nineteenth century it was destroyed as a result of the explosion of a gunpowder warehouse at Christmas, but unfortunately the reason remained unknown.
All this gives the village a certain mystery; walking along the narrow streets you imagine yourself as one of a group of children who, with wooden sticks in their hands, imagine themselves as knights of the round table and win a seemingly hopeless battle.
The most Portuguese village in Portugal
By the way, Monsanto is also called “The Most Portuguese Village in Portugal”, and this is not without reason, as the symbol of this title is none other than the silver rooster. According to the locals, he controls all the entrances and approaches to the territory, which is guarded from a tower that can be seen at the entrance to the village.
Although some Portuguese argue that Monsanta is completely different from most local villages. Others argue that this is the only settlement of its kind, which repelled many attacks by the French conquerors, and did not break from long sieges and remained to belong to Portugal.
No matter how radically different opinions local residents, but they are all undeniably proud of their village and try in every possible way to tell tourists fascinating historical details.
Vibrant colors and stunning scenery
Let's not delve into history and pay attention to the beauty of nature, the brightness of the colors with which it paints its stunning landscapes. Anyone who has visited Monsant at least once will never forget this beauty. From the very beginning, looking at the local residents, you understand that they prefer a measured and calm rhythm of life. They openly admire the landscapes that open up to their eyes every day, and no matter how long they live there, new notes of sophistication and incomparability of Mother Nature appear every day in this beauty.
Walking along the small streets, you feel as if you are walking along a fairy-tale path in a city where giants live and you are always afraid that at that very moment a huge head of an unknown fairy-tale monster will appear from behind the next rock. When you meet local residents, you just want to ask how long they have lived here, in the hope of hearing a unique, slightly fabulous and mysterious story their generation, which began with valiant warriors.
The legend of the village of Monsant
I would also like to tell you one fascinating legend that describes the cunning and ingenuity of the people who lived there long before us. So, it was some year after a seven-year siege of the fortress, the inhabitants ate all the provisions, only one cow and a bag of grain remained.
The besieged sighed heavily, realizing that the end was very close and the remaining cows would not delay this moment much. But then, to the surprise of everyone, a certain woman suddenly proposed a completely risky plan, namely, she proposed to feed the cow to its full with the remaining grain and give it to the opponents. It would seem why? But the woman was unusually wise and the plan worked.
"How?" – you ask. It would seem very simple, having fed the four-legged animal, they threw the cow on the heads of the enemies. The opponents, going crazy from such an act, could not help but pay attention to the full stomach of the animal and decided that if after so many years Monsanta is able to feed the animal for slaughter, then there is not the slightest point in continuing this battle and the troops retreated, leaving the village undefeated.
In the mountains of Portugal you can find many incredible villages with stone houses, windmills and foggy, surreal landscapes. The village of Monsanto, which is the focus of this report, is probably the most tourist village in Portugal. It is located between Porto and Lisbon (277 km from the capital), near the border with Spain and the highest mountain range in Portugal, Serra da Estrela. Tourists from all over the world come here at any time of the year. different countries, see what kind of village this is, built among huge stone boulders and awarded itself the title “The Most Portuguese Village in Portugal”.
This title went to Monsanto after winning a competition in 1938, when the village received a silver rooster as a prize. A copy of that rooster now adorns the city tower.
In the description of the village, the first lines are occupied by the fact that when building houses, residents used stone boulders as walls, attaching houses to them... indeed - why not - the result turned out to be very original and harmonious, everything has been holding and standing strong since the 12th century .
A local attraction is the ruins of an old castle, which has stood here since the founding of the village and was destroyed in the 18th century when lightning struck an ammunition depot.
Monsanto Legend
In such a mountainous area, it was quite difficult to conquer a village, well, when it was customary to conquer territories. And in this regard, Monsanto has its own legend.
During one of the next wars, after 7 years of siege, the Monsanto castle ran out of food and was left with one last cow and a bag of grain. The residents, of course, were sad about this, but one strange woman proposed a crazy plan, which for some reason the people supported. The hungry cow was fed grain and, with cheerful cries, thrown directly onto the enemy’s heads.
Enemy heads looked at this madness and decided that since these people, after 7 years of siege, had food piled up, then it was pointless to continue waiting. The enemies gathered and went home with nothing. So the siege was lifted, and the day of liberation - May 3 - is now celebrated in Monsanto under the name "Day of the Holy Cross." Residents, dressed in festive national costumes, walk in a festive procession towards the castle, carrying a white pot decorated with flowers, symbolizing a cow. After the rituals, this pot is thrown from the castle wall to the ground.
How to get to Monsanto
Monsanto is located 270 km from Lisbon and 300 km from Porto. Coordinates: 40.038837, -7.115110. You can get here:
- A rented car or bike is the most convenient and desirable option, because on the road you can see enough of other wonderful places Portugal, choosing whatever you like.
- By bus or train from Lisbon (approx. 3 hours) or Porto (5 hours) to Castelo Branco and then by bus to Monsanto. Buses from Castelo Branco to Monsanto run daily at 12.25 and 17.15, except weekends and holidays, and on Sundays at 11.40.
