Explore Porto and the Rio Douro
Sitting high above the Côa valley, 60km southeast of Pinhão, the small town of VILA NOVA DE FOZ CÔA would attract no interest at all had it not been for the discovery in 1992 of the most extensive array of outdoor Paleolithic art in Europe. The engravings are of a similar style to those found in caves elsewhere, but their uniqueness lies in the fact that they are outside on exposed rock faces in a rocky river valley. With the oldest dated at around 23,000 years, their survival is remarkable, and they are now under protection as both National Monument and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There are four rock art sites to visit, though the restrictions on numbers and visiting hours mean you’re unlikely to see more than two in any one day. Depending on how keen you are, this might mean an overnight stop in Foz Côa, though there is no earthly reason otherwise to stay. Although the blistering midsummer heat and winter cold makes it hard to believe, the town benefits from a Mediterranean microclimate, proof of which is provided by the locally produced almonds, fruit, cheese, wine and – especially – olive oil, among the country’s finest. You can stock up at the Adega Cooperativa, 200m down the Pocinho road from the bus station. The monthly market is on the first Tuesday of the month next to the football field, and the blossoming of almond trees draws the crowds in late February and early March.
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Parque Arqueológico do Vale do Côa (PAVC)
Parque Arqueológico do Vale do Côa (PAVC)
The PAVC contains thousands of engravings on several hundred rocks, a good number of which are clustered around the four major sites. The engravings are of horses, deer, goats and other animals, as well as later, Neolithic, images of people – many are quite hard to make out, as unlike cave art they are not painted but were scratched or chipped with stones. Night visits are sometimes possible, out of the sun’s glare, when you can see more easily. If you only have time to visit one site, Penascosa is considered the most interesting.
The sites
Canada do Inferno – close to the abandoned Côa dam – was the first site to be identified. It contains a wide variety of engravings, from bison to horses, some very close to the current water line and many more underwater since the construction of the Pocinho dam upstream raised the level.
Trips to Ribeira de Piscos head out from Muxagata, 1km off the N102 to Guarda, which has a bar beside the visitor centre. The engravings are spread out along the eponymous ribeira down to its confluence with the Côa – a beautiful place, but there’s a lot of walking involved. The highlights are a tender engraving of two horses “kissing”, some fine engravings of auroch bison (now extinct) and an exceptionally rare Paleolithic engraving of a man. The newest site is Fariseu, which features another Paleolithic human figure. This site is closed more regularly than the other three, though if you get the chance to visit, you’ll also start from Muxagata.
The starting point for Penascosa is the visitor centre in Castelo Melhor, just off the N322 to Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo. Penascosa’s highlights include an engraving of a fish (one of very few such depictions worldwide), and a rock containing over a dozen superimposed animals, the meaning of which archeologists are at a loss to understand. The village itself has a gorgeous ruined castle and a couple of café-restaurants.
There’s also a private site at Quinta da Ervamoira, a secluded vineyard on the west bank of the Côa, accessed from Muxagata. It’s owned by the Ramos Pinto port wine company, whose granite estate house is now a museum housing finds from Roman and medieval times.
