Easy hikes and walks around Quinta Do Anjo

On foot or by bike, Arrábida is always a privilege of nature.👍🇵🇹

The Arrábida Mountains have spectacular trails, along which we can enjoy beautiful landscapes, both green and sea. 👍

Located in Largo Duque de Palmela, very close to the Town Hall and next to the Church of Misericórdia, the pillory is an important symbol of the ancient judicial power in the urban space and of municipal autonomy. Dating from 1645, it was built of limestone (lioz) and consists of a two-step platform with an octagonal base. The shaft is cylindrical and smooth, the capital is decorated with acanthus leaves, and four iron hooks extend from it, ending in zoomorphic shapes. The top consists of a quadrangular element bearing the inscription 1645, above which are the royal coat of arms (shield and crown), surmounted by an iron cross. In the 19th century, perhaps after the abolition of the Municipality in 1855, the pillory was dismantled. The population rebuilt it in 1907, likely as a demonstration of the struggle for the Restoration of the Municipality, which would take place in 1926. By Decree-Law of June 16, 1910, it was classified as a National Monument. Time has eroded the stone and iron, but in 2001, the City Council restored its dignity through restoration work.

These were the "mills" of old, moved by the wind, heavy granite millstones, transformed wheat seeds into flour from which delicious bread was made, which "satisfied" the hunger of those who had little to eat.

The Portuguese oak can be considered an intermediate species between the oaks of the north of the country and those of the south, that is, between the black oak and the oak, and the cork oak and holm oak. This tree grows slowly and inhabits habitats that are generally limiting for most other trees. Like the holm oak, the acorns of this oak are also used in the feed of the wild pig.

The rural Islamic site of Alto da Queimada, which we identified as a hilltop, was subjected to archaeological intervention between 1996 and 2005. The village shows signs of previous occupation, from the Roman and pre-Islamic periods, with continuity of settlement being recognised, attributable to the great fertility of the region and the good location and defence conditions. The peasant population that, in the Islamic period, structured and inhabited the hilltop from the Emiral period until the beginning of the 11th century, maintained undeniable fiscal and cultural links to the castle of Palmela. The hilltop is defined in a west-east direction, with rectangular houses, with rough stonework associated with walls obtained from the local rock and roofs made of perishable materials. Spaces with functions linked to daily agricultural and pastoral life are defined, namely storage areas, but also others of a religious nature. The signs of a predominantly agricultural economy are evident in the collection of instruments and various utensils, but other activities are also documented, such as fishing, justified by the proximity of the Sado Estuary.

The Arrábida region holds valuable treasures and a variety of information about the geological evolution of the territory and its occupation since the Neolithic period. It is possible to discover and interpret all these signs in a simple and educational way along the Serra do Louro and Quinta do Anjo mountain range, where you can see beds of fossilized oysters and corals and a large number of archaeological remains in the form of engravings, settlements, hill forts and tombs excavated in the rock. It is also a privileged location for the global observation of all the orography related to the formation of the Serra da Arrábida. The geodetic marker marks the highest point of the Serra do Louro. At an altitude of 224 m, you can see, to the south, the Serra de São Luís (398 m), the Serra dos Gaiteiros (229 m) and the Vale dos Barris. In this location, you can also see a bed of fossilized oysters. The oldest lands in Arrábida date back to around 200 million years ago, at the beginning of the Jurassic, with the oyster beds being one of the testimonies of other geological times.

At the top of the Serra do Louro stand the windmills which, in the not so distant past, were an important industry for processing cereals. The force of the wind hits the open sails, turning an axle, which in turn transmits the rotation to a limestone stone that rotates on another fixed one. These stones, called "millstones", receive the cereal grains between them, transforming them into flour.