An adrenaline-filled surprise on the Route of the Romanesque
Anyone who follows me knows that I love discovering places that surprise me and in the years I've lived here in Portugal, this has happened frequently. What a country to have beautiful places that are so different from each other! So get ready and come and discover Lousada with me.
Lousada is considered the youngest municipality in Portugal, and I don't mean young in terms of age, but in terms of population. I was impressed by how many adventure sports there are.
Another curiosity is that, despite having everything it takes to be a big city, it still prefers to be a Portuguese village, with all the charm that goes with it.
Its vineyards, and lots of history along the Romanesque Route. I discovered over a delightful weekend that there is so much to do in Lousada, and it has undoubtedly entered my radar of wonderful places to discover in Portugal!
Where is Lousada?
Lousada is located in the north of Portugal, belonging to the district of Porto and the sub-region of Tâmega e Sousa.
Wow, if you're from the district of Porto, then it must be really close! Yes, only 45 km separate Lousada from the center of Porto, so I suggest putting it on your itinerary when you come to Porto.
It's also very close to Braga. I had no idea there was all this so close by, only 50 km separate Braga from Lousada.
Attractions in Lousada
Lousada is extremely attractive in many ways, and there are many ways to enjoy tourism in the municipality. I was really impressed by how rich tourism is in the region, from adrenaline-pumping activities to historical routes.
Route of the Romanesque
Lousada is home to a huge Interpretation Center for the Romanesque and is also one of the monuments on this route, which in total covers 58 monuments throughout its length, divided into 12 municipalities.
You can buy a passport at the Interpretation Center of the Romanesque, or at any of its other monuments.
Take the opportunity to stamp all the monuments on the route in your passport. I love this kind of fun and have already stamped two of the monuments in my passport.
However, before I start talking about the Route of the Romanesque. Many people think that the Route of the Romanesque has something to do with the Romans, forget that!
What is Romanesque?
It is an artistic style that was present in Europe between the 11th and 13th centuries.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Christianity spread and it was here that Romanesque art made its presence felt, with its style mainly seen in Catholic churches.
Torre de Vilar
Another
interesting place to visit in Lousada, which is also part of the
Route of the Romanesque is the Torre de Vilar.
Anyone looking at it would think
a military construction, but the tower is an example of a fortified
a fortified residence (Domus Fortis), a symbol of the power of the
nobility.
I was extremely enchanted and could only imagine how the whole place could once have been a residence.
Its interior is empty, with only stairs to take us to the top, but the imagination does the rest of the work and we travel back to how everything must have been centuries ago.
Quinta de Lourosa
Ever since we moved to Portugal I've wanted to take part in a grape harvest and it was at Quinta de Lourosa that I checked off my dream list.
Quinta de Lourosa is a spectacular place to stay, especially if you're a wine lover! We didn't stay there, but we did take part in a unique activity that is open to the public: the grape harvest takes place every year and in September 2019 we had the pleasure of being able to take part.
We put on our gloves, grabbed our scissors and went out to the field to pick the grapes, then we stomped them as the ancients did and produced the beginnings of a delicious vinho verde!
After the game, we learned all about the real process of wine production, Quinta de Lourosa's main activity, and saw that production goes far beyond harvesting, treading and waiting.
After this process, we went to see the rest of the Quinta and I was delighted with their children's area, there's even a mini tractor for the kids to play on, the whole Quinta is beautiful and I certainly want to stay there one day.
But of course we weren't going to leave like that, there was still a wine tasting with delicious accompaniments, cheeses, sausages and chorizo bread! Very, very good.
Quinta da Tapada
It's a beautiful farmhouse built in 1849, with a colonial tendency, known as brasileirismo in Portugal.
If you stroll through its gardens, you'll find a few surprises along the way, such as the oldest camellia in Portugal or a grotto that reminds us of the grotto at Parque Lage in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The farm also produces wines and cheeses, as well as being a local accommodation with a room fit for a princess.
É a guided tour of Quinta da Tapada with wine tastings. wine tasting.
Eurocircuit Lousada Automobile
As I've already told you, Lousada is a very young municipality and that certainly goes hand in hand with a life full of adrenaline too, which is why the Eurocircuit track is such a hit in Lousada.
The Lousada Eurocircuit has already been the venue for several European Autocross and Rally Championship races.
The track is 40% of dirt and 60% of tarmac with lots of speed and adrenaline and since we're on the track why not accept an unusual invitation?
We had the opportunity to race as drivers on the track, or rather co-drivers! We got into the Rally cars and put our hearts into accelerating along with every curve, it was simply AMAZING, an experience that was very worthwhile.
Press play and feel the adrenaline rush with us.
This is not an activity open to the public, it was part of the program for the First International Blog Meeting in Lousada
Vilar House Museum
Have you ever thought about immersing yourself in the seventh art, learning how it all began and seeing up close the photos becoming video? That's exactly what happened at the Casa Museu de Vilar.
It is in this marvelous space that we understand how the magic of cinema began, tells the whole story and shows the progress of the art. Emmanuel was mesmerized by everything he saw there. It's a delightful family outing.
Will`s Rock Club
We ended our evening with a lively rock concert at Will's Rock Club, where we danced between drinks.
Emmanuel loved the experience and wished he'd stayed longer to see the show through to the end.
Where to eat in Lousada
We eat very well in Portugal and in all the places I've been to so far, I haven't been disappointed at all, and of course Lousada would be no different.
We've been to a few places that are worth talking about and trying, each with a highlight you'll never forget!
Some of the highlights are: codfish dreams, roast loin with roast potatoes and burnt cream.
Brazão Restaurant
It was the first restaurant we visited and has a spacious and very comfortable atmosphere for families.
We had a delicious oven rice with roast loin, a typical local dish that I ended up repeating every day, it's delicious!
And after our main course, came the biggest surprise: the crème brûlée is not just a dessert, it was a showstopper!
They brought and burnt the sugar in front of us, it's a sensational way of making the dish.
I loved it, and the taste is indescribable.
Restaurant Royal Road
We started our meal with a nice codfish jerky, a typical dish in Portugal.
It's nothing more than raw cod with olive oil and onions, a real delight, followed by the dish accompanied by fried greens, another typical food in Portugal, a very tasty and well-seasoned vegetable.
The roast sirloin with roast potatoes was the most wonderful thing in the world, I couldn't stop eating the potatoes! It was undoubtedly the highlight of the evening.
For dessert we ordered the orange roll cake, another dessert I love in Portugal.
Viscount Restaurant
It was another happy surprise on our visit to Lousada. We started our meal with two surprises: cod carpaccio and cod dreams.
It's hard to say which one was better, I'd spend all night eating just that, but the roast loin wasn't far behind either, with the tenderest meat I've had in Lousada, it was melt-in-your-mouth tender.
A truly delicious lunch that ended with a slice of cake accompanied by a delicious scoop of ice cream.
Sedoura House
It's a beautiful house with a huge swimming pool and eye-catching lighting.
The room is tastefully decorated and we felt very cozy here.
Casa de Sedoura operates mainly as local accommodation, with rural tourism being its main activity, but we didn't stay at the house, we went for a delicious dinner.
We arrived and the tables were already were waiting for us, with appetizing starters! Crunchy crispy and divine, chorizo sausages, and something reminiscent of a cheese which I repeated a few times.
For
the main course, a delicious turkey steak piccata with
mushrooms and cream.
If you
want to have an experience like this, you need to book in advance.
Aveleda Village
For
who love to travel, this is a house that catches the eye.
simply magnificent, and a stroll between countries.
It is also
a local accommodation, with romantic rooms or great for
there's even a room full of toys for the little ones to enjoy
have fun while their parents read a book.
Sandra
is the hostess who is delighted to welcome everyone into her home and does
everything she can to make her guests feel at home.
No
We didn't stay at Aveleda Village, but we did have a delicious brunch,
with brigadeiro and lots of good conversation.
Accommodation in Lousada
Lousada surprises us in every detail and I really fell in love with the places we visited. We wanted to spend the night in each of them, but we left the best for last.
House de Juste
Think of a fairytale location, with impeccable gardens and even a tree house.
It is an original house from the 14th century, completely preserved. The house has many common spaces where you can watch a movie or just chat away a late afternoon.
We took the opportunity to play some checkers and introduce the game to the little one.
Her gardens are so delicate that we can see carrots and rabbits in the bushes, or simply pick something from her vegetable patch.
We strolled among the vines and picked some grapes. Soon we found lakes and tree houses, where Emmanuel could play with himself! Casa de Juste really is a magical place to stay with the family on your visit to Lousada.
Portugal enchants and surprises us in every place we visit, it's all so unique and enchanting.
There are three types of accommodation at the Juste house: Casa do Pátio, Casa da Cocheira and Casa da Eira
We stayed at Casa da Cocheira, a cute and cozy two-storey house separate from the main house.
On the second floor there are chairs, a small table and a double bed with a delicious mattress and bed linen that hugs you.
Another thing that struck me was that all the bed linen and towels had the house crest on them, everything in extremely good taste.
On the second floor there is also a double bed, making our stay even better and with total privacy between couple and child.
The bathroom is on the second floor and is spacious, with a bathtub that's good for relaxing in after a walk. The make-up mirror is good and the room is very well lit.
Breakfast
Anyone who knows me knows that I love the taste of breakfast, and at Casa de Juste it was no different, I loved every bite.
There was freshly picked blackberry juice from the garden, custard tarts, eggs and other delicacies, such as delicious jams.
Our accommodation in Lousada
Without a doubt, Casa de Juste surprised us so much that we left wanting to go back! I want to arrange with my friends to go there on a weekend. There is so much at Casa de Juste that we could easily spend the whole weekend just there, playing in the pools or strolling through the woods.
The children have fun watching the geese, strolling among the trees or looking for fruit, while the parents enjoy the deepest peace that nature brings.
Extra activities
There are some extra activities at the casa de juste, such as the jam workshop we took part in.
We picked the grapes, cut them carefully, peeled the walnuts and everything became a party, with lots of cheeses and jams to feed us while we worked.
Having this direct contact with the land and fruit is extremely enjoyable, I loved being able to take part, but there are also other types of workshop there, such as cooking, embroidery, port wine (tastings) and gardening.
A every season of the year is something to be enjoyed. to be enjoyed, but accommodation is limited to spring and summer. summer.
Lousada
Lousada showed us that it really is young and green, that its wines are delicious and that there are attractions for all tastes and ages! Our little one loved visiting the cinema museum and the colors of the Romanesque interpretation center, and of course he had a lot of fun picking the grapes at the grape harvest.
There is no shortage of attractions in Lousada and we want to return to discover more of the riches of this place.
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