Marialva Historical Village

Historical Village

Marialva is known for its village, one of 12 in the Historic Villages of Portugal network, its preserved historic buildings and the emblematic silhouette of its towering castle. Its geographical position has had an important historical significance, as evidenced by human occupation since over 2000 years ago.

Its ex-libris, also the oldest existing structure, is the castle and the surviving elements of the ancient town within its walls, based on a 4th century BC hill fort.

In its surroundings, a mosaic landscape favours a great diversity of wild species, from insects to birds. The pockets of natural vegetation are well preserved and represented by plants characteristic of the area, including some endemics.

Fauna

Birds are particularly popular in spring and during April and May it is possible to see around 40 species in a single day. Easily spotted are the Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius), the Hoopoe (Upupa epops), the Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus), the Bee-eater (Merops apiaster), the Iberian Magpie (Cyanopica cooki), the Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur), the Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia), among many others.

The existing mammals are almost all strictly nocturnal. The Genet (Genetta genetta), the Badger (Meles meles), the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), the Polecat (Mustela putorius). However, the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) can be seen in broad daylight.

The group of reptiles includes some interesting species, whose distribution is restricted to south-western Europe, such as the Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica), the Spiny-footed Lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus), the Occelated Lizard (Timon lepidus), the Portugal Wall Lizard (Podarcis lusitanicus), the Large Psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus), the Horseshoe Whip Snake (Hemorrhois hippocrepis), the Ladder Snake (Rhinechis scalaris) and the Viperine Water Snake (Natrix maura).

The amphibians include the Marbled Newt (Triturus marmoratus), the Bosca’s Newt (Lissotriton boscai) and the Iberian Midwife Toad (Alytes cysternasii).

The great diversity of flowers attracts a wide variety of butterflies.

Portugal Wall Lizard (Podarcis lusitanicus)

Flora

The dominant vegetation in Marialva is made up of Cork Oak (Quercus suber), Holm Oak (Quercus rotundifolia), Portuguese Oak (Quercus faginea) and Juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus). In the shrub layer, the Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and the Yellow Broom (Cytisus striatus) predominate. Under the forest cover, in clearings or rocky strata, we find a number of herbaceous plants endemic to Portugal and Spain, such as the Hairy Samacalus (Anarrhinum duriminium) and the Spanish Foxglove (Digitalis thapsi), the Thrift (Armeria transmontana), the Snapdragon (Antirrhinum graniticum), the Lupin (Lupinus gredensis) and the Spurge (Euphorbia oxyphylla).

more information

The route starts in the centre of the Historical Village and runs through its streets until it enters the countryside and descends into the cultivated fields that accompany the Marialva stream. In general, there is little unevenness.

Meeting point: Largo da Figueira, em Marialva (Mêda)

Lenght: 4 to 7km

Duration: 2 to 4h

Recommended períod: April – May / September – November

Recommendations and practical advice

This activity requires comfortable footwear (preferably mountain boots or sport shoes), trousers, a windbreaker and other clothing adapted to the season and the weather forecast. Hat and sun cream. Bring water (at least 1.5 litres) and an individual snack consisting, among other things, of sandwiches, fruit or energy bars, nuts and dried fruit.

The planned programme may change if the weather is too bad.