I completely fell in love with Lapa dos Dinheiros, one of the five mountain villages in the heart of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park of Portugal. It’s a very small village but with some surprising gems, and surrounded by the beauty of central Portugal.
Visiting the Historic Village of Piodão
My visit to Lapa dos Dinheiros actually starts with a stop in Piodão, one of the 12 historic villages of Portugal. It’s mostly constructed from schist, very similar to Gondramaz and the other schist villages of central Portugal.
Piodão was first recorded in 1527 and was possibly used as a safe haven for condemned criminals. It’s considerably larger than other schist villages, but that’s not saying much when there are only about 120 inhabitants. It’s also the only historic village that doesn’t have a castle, which is understandable considering the mountainous terrain.
We wandered up and down the