Torre de Moncorvo is a town in Trás-os-Montes in the district of Bragança near the Spanish border, at the confluence of the rivers Sabor and Douro.

Torre de Moncorvo is said to have emerged from an ancient village of the high middle ages, which was called Vila Velha de Santa Cruz da Vilariça. This was situated on the top of the right bank of the Sabor River and in the vicinity of the Baldoeiro prehistoric settlement.

Tradition has it that the inhabitants of this village abandoned it. This may have been due to the area being less fertile for crops, or to the fact that it was consequently affected by Moorish ravages, which were very common at the time, thus moving to the lower part of the Serra do Roboredo.

This abandonment of Vila Velha de Santa Cruz da Vilariça will have occurred at the end of the 13th century . At the beginning of that same century, the town was showing signs of relative vitality. In 1225, King Sancho II gave it a charter granting it important exemptions and penal and fiscal privileges.

The Sabor and Douro rivers are very important in the region, and are a mark on the landscape of this municipality. Also relevant are the Vilariça Valley and the Reboredo Mountains.

The Mother Church of Torre de Moncorvo is classified as National Heritage and is considered the largest religious temple in Trás-os-Montes. The walking tour through the town, namely the historical centre, gives us a better perspective of the Medieval Nucleus, which includes the manor houses, the Iron Museum, the various “craft workshops” selling regional products and making the “covered almond of Moncorvo”.

Torre de Moncorvo is part of the Almond Blossom circuit, which has its peak in the months of February and March.

To visit:

• Mother Church of Torre de Moncorvo
• Castle of Torre de Moncorvo
• Wall
• Roman road of Cabeça Boa
• Castro de Carviçais (fortress)
• Medieval Necropolis
• Misericórdia Church
• Church of Santa Maria
• Chapel of Espírito Santo
• Chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios
• Chapel of S. Sebastião
• Chapel of Santo António
• Chapel of Sagrado Coração de Jesus
• Chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres
• Sanctuary of Santa Bárbara
• Filipino Fountain
• Santo António Fountain
• Santiago Fountain
• Mós Court and Jail
• Animal-drawn olive oil press in Larinho
• Pillory of Torre de Moncorvo
• Cruises
• Viewpoint of São Bento
• Viewpoint of Santa Leucádia
• Solar dos Pimenteis (manor house)
• Solar dos Tenreiros (manor house)
• Casa do Roda
• Casa da Avó
• Town Hall
• Municipal Library
• Cine Theatre
• Centro de Memória (museum, library and archive)
• Iron and Region Museum
• Oficina Vinária (workshop)
• Auditorium “Celeiro”
• Foz do Sabor River Beach

Festivities and pilgrimages:

• São Sebastião, on the 3rd Sunday in January
• Almond Blossom Festival, at the end of February and beginning of March
• São José, on 19 March
• Divino São Cristo, on the last weekend of May
• Santa Leucádia, on 10 June
• Nossa Senhora da Assunção, in the first half of August
• São Silvestre, on 31 December