Original subtitles

(winds whispering)

(uplifting music)

(uplifting music)

- [Narrator] Our journey begins

at the northeast corner of the country at Braganca.

We then head west to Guimaraes

and a castle which is known as the Cradle of Portugal.

At Braga, we look at two impressive monasteries

before heading for the coast at Viana do Castelo,

then head south past resorts before arriving

at Porto, the home of Port wine.

From there, we travel inland past a landscape of vineyards

before ending at the great fortress at Almeida

on the border with Spain.

(relaxed music)

Portugal occupies roughly 1/6th of the Iberian Peninsula

and has a population of about 10 million people.

Its border with Spain has remained

largely unchanged for over 800 years.

Here in the rugged landscape of the north,

the country is one of the least explored

corners of Western Europe.

The largest city in the area is Braganca,

with a population of around 35,000 people.

The citadel was built by the Dukes of Braganca,

who from 1640 to 1910 provided all the kings of Portugal

and also, during the 19th century, the emperors of Brazil.

(empowering music)

The walled citadel is an impressive sight

and has a history stretching back to the Romans,

though what we see today is much later.

Within the walls still stands Sancho I's castle,

built in 1187 with its watchtowers and dungeons.

At the center of the castle is the keep,

the Torre de Menagem, which was restored in 1928

to house a military museum.

People still live inside the walls

of the well-preserved citadel,

though today many of the buildings

have been taken over by handicraft shops and cafes

for all the visiting tourists.

(relaxed music)

The landscape around the city is dotted

with small villages and farms,

often surrounded by a type of oak tree

where the bark is harvested to make corks for bottles.

The bark will then grow back again,

so creating a natural, sustainable industry.

To the west, the countryside becomes wild and remote.

Over the years, the population has declined

as people migrated south in search of a better life.

Those left in the rural areas

have a tough existence in this unforgiving landscape.

And in this landscape, picturesque,

stone-built villages cling to hilltops.

In the past, this was an area of refuge

where political and religious exiles

could easily escape being found.

For the visitor passing through it today,

it is a beautiful picture of rural Portugal,

where some of the most colorful, traditional,

and local fiestas in the country are still held.

For the local inhabitants, they offer a respite

and a break from an often hard life.

To the west is the Peneda-Geres National Park.

It was created in 1971 as the result

of the international and scientific interest

in the area's flora and fauna,

and it's Portugal's only national park.

This wilderness of rugged, boulder-strewn mountains

covers an area of nearly 200,000 acres

and has an extraordinary diversity

of climate, environments, and scenery.

The park is also a transition zone

between the Mediterranean and European Siberian regions,

and as a result of this, there are plants here

which are rare or non-existent elsewhere in the country.

One of the main aims is education and controlled tourism.

Several hiking trails cross the park,

which offer different themes ranging

from geological to ecological.

In the past the area was home to brown bears and wild goats.

Today the park is one of the last refuges

for two great predators: wolves and royal eagles.

An important feature of the landscape

is the constant presence of water

in the form of heavy rainfalls.

Waterfalls are common and they feed into

several rivers which cross the park.

They in turn feed into the reservoirs

which stretch for roughly 30 miles

along the southern border of the national park.

A series of high dams have created large lakes,

which in turn have created centers

for water sports, holiday homes, and hotels.

The furthest west reservoir is Lake Canicada,

which sits just inside the Peneda-Geres National Park.

A dam across the River Cavado

has flooded three mountain valleys,

which has not only created a resort center

but also provides fresh water

as well as hydroelectric power for the area.

15 miles to the south is Guimaraes,

one of the most historic cities in Portugal

and recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

At its center are a castle and the palace

of the Dukes of Braganca.

The palace is a 1930s restored version

of the original, built in the 15th century.

During the 19th century, it fell into disuse

after the Dukes of Braganca moved away from Guimaraes,

and much of the palace was then used

as building material for local houses.

The style shows a clear French influence,

which perhaps came from the Burgundian ancestry

of the Braganca family.

Next to the palace is Guimaraes Castle,

which stands on a hill overlooking the city,

and its high square dominates the skyline.

Building began around the 10th century

in order to defend a nearby monastery

from attack by the Moors as well as the Normans.

The castle was largely rebuilt in the 12th century

when it became a royal residence.

According to tradition, this was the birthplace

of Afonso, the first King of Portugal,

and as a result the castle is known

as the Cradle of Portugal.

Like the palace nextdoor, the castle fell into disuse

during the 19th century and was threatened with demolition.

Luckily, it was not carried out, and after restoration

it was declared a national monument in 1910.

Both the castle and palace are an important part

of the heritage of Portugal.

Eight miles to the north is the city of Braga,

and on a hilltop overlooking the city

are two prominent sanctuaries.

The first is the Santuario do Sameiro

and one of the most important

and popular shrines in Portugal.

It was built in the neoclassical style in 1863

to honor the belief in the immaculate conception

and was not finally completed until the 1980s,

120 years after it was begun.

(serene music)

At the top of the imposing approach

are two pillars supporting statues

of the Virgin Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Close by on the same hill is another sanctuary.

This is the Bom Jesus do Monte,

which translates as Good Jesus of the Mountain.

What we see today was built during the 18th century

and the most dominant feature

is the baroque double staircase, built as a sacred way.

The faithful could climb the staircase

and pass the stations of the cross

for penance and contemplation.

Several small, octagonal chapels were built

which depicted scenes following the crucifixion.

The zigzag pattern of the steps

is dedicated to the three theological virtues,

faith, hope, and charity,

with small fountains where the steps cross

giving the idea of purification of the faithful.

The building of the present sanctuary began in 1781

and replaced several earlier churches,

the first dating back to 1373.

The style is neoclassical,

which was fashionable at the time.

In the 19th century, a funicular railway

was built alongside the staircase

for easier access to the church,

and it's still in use today.

10 miles to the west is the coast

and the port of Viana do Castelo.

It was King Afonso III who founded the town back in 1253.

(relaxed music)

Portugal has always had a great affinity with the sea

and some of the finest explorers

of the 15th century were Portuguese,

such as Vasco da Gama, who reached India in 1498.

And it was from this small port

less well-known explorers set sail to discover new worlds.

One was to chart the Congo in Africa,

and another charted the rich fishing grounds

of Newfoundland in Canada.

Heading south along the west coast

are a number of small resorts

fronting sandy beaches and clear blue seas.

(relaxed music)

It's a popular place to come to

for local people wanting to get away

from the nearby towns and cities.

The area is called Costa Verde, meaning the green coast,

and it's now protected from any further development

because in the past, the coast has been developed

by industry, including one of the largest

oil refineries in the country at Leca da Palmeira.

(uplifting music)

Shrouded in sea mist, the River Douro opens up

into a mile-wide estuary.

It is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula

and runs for 550 miles.

At its end lies the second largest city in Portugal, Porto.

The city is one of the oldest European centers.

In Roman times, it was known as Portus Cale,

and it's been suggested that this

was the origin of the name Portugal.

In the 11th century, the city profited

by provisioning Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land,

and four centuries later, Porto took advantage

of the wealth being bought back

from the newly discovered lands.

One of the best views of the city

is from the 18th century Torre dos Clerigos,

which rises up 246 feet and is one of

the highest buildings in Portugal.

From the tower, the river, which has been

the lifeblood of the city for centuries,

can be clearly seen.

It was from here in 1415 that Prince Henry the Navigator,

son of the King of Portugal,

set out to explore the North African coast,

which initiated the Portuguese Age of Discovery.

Today, the harbor no longer has ships arriving

laden with goods from around the world,

but instead it is tourist boats

which ferry passengers up and down the river.

They ride in a boat that is designed

to look like the Barcos Rabelos ones

that carry the barrels of the one trade

that still flourishes on the opposite bank to Porto.

That trade is Port, named after the city,

and the barrels contain the wine

from the vineyards further upstream.

This whole complex at Vila Nova de Gaia

is at the heart of Port production.

It is here in these lodges that the wine is aged,

and over 50 companies are based in these narrow streets.

And today, more modern style lodges age this popular drink,

which has its roots back in the 17th century.

It is reputed to be a British wine merchant

who sent his sons to Portugal to find a wine source.

They found a monastery where the abbot

was adding brandy to a local red wine

during rather than after fermentation,

thereby producing something similar to Port.

Porto is also known as the City of Bridges.

The first bridge was built in 1803 but destroyed in the war

with Spain and France three years later.

It was not until 1877 that the Dona Maria Pia railway bridge

was built by the Frenchman Gustave Eiffel,

creator of the Eiffel Tower.

In 1991, the bridge was replace by the Bridge of St. John.

In 1886, the Dom Luis Bridge was built

by a partner of Eiffel,

which has trains on the top and cars underneath.

At the time it was the longest

bridge of its type in the world.

When the Arrabida Road Bridge was built

at the river mouth in 1963,

it was the longest concrete arch bridge in the world.

And in 1995, the Freixo Bridge was built

to carry the motorway south to Lisbon.

And the latest is the Ponte do Infante, completed in 2003.

To the east of Porto, the landscape becomes more mountainous

and small villages stand surrounded by terraced fields.

Agriculture in Portugal is based

on small to medium-sized family-owned farms,

and just as we saw earlier,

many of them grow cork oak trees

where the bark is turned into corks

for the surrounding vineyards.

One such vineyard has been making

a well-known wine since the 1940s, Mateus Rose,

(relaxed music)

and on the label of the distinctive, round-shaped bottle

was a picture of the Mateus Palace.

The palace was built in 1745,

and it's considered one of the most perfect examples

of baroque architecture in Portugal.

Incorporated into the design is a small family chapel.

The house is surrounded by formal gardens

from the same period.

It was an Italian architect, Nicolau Nasoni,

who designed the whole complex

and spent the later part of his life in Portugal

following a series of commissions.

The house now belongs to a foundation

which develops cultural activities

in the areas of music, literature, and visual arts.

The River Douro, which rises in the mountains of Spain

before flowing out to sea at Porto,

is one of Europe's most untouched and beautiful rivers.

And on a section of it to the east of Porto,

the whole area has been designated

a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001

in the category of cultural landscape.

The well-tended vines make impressive patterns

on the steep slopes down to the river,

where tourist boats gently cruise up and down,

allowing passengers to take in the beautiful scenery,

which for centuries has grown vines for wine

and more importantly, Port.

Port is a Portuguese fortified wine

produced exclusively in the Douro Valley region.

The full name for the wine is vinho do Porto,

which comes from the 17th century

when it was shipped from the harbor in Porto.

The wine is fortified by adding

a natural grape spirit known as aguardente

in order to stop the fermentation

and allowing the residual sugars

to boost the alcohol content.

Port is typically richer, sweeter,

and heavier than other wines,

and has an alcohol content of around 19-20%.

The drink became very popular with the English

during the 18th century due to wars with France,

which shut off the wine trade.

As a result, English shippers set up business in Porto

and are still in business today,

with names like Coburn, Croft, Sandeman, and Taylor.

The price of port varies from

cheap varieties from around $10

to vintage port, costing hundreds of dollars a bottle.

(inquisitive music)

Away from the river,

and the landscape becomes less fertile

with dry, rock-strewn gullies.

The border with Spain is only 10 miles to the east,

and on a wide, flat plane,

there are a series of castles defending the frontier

dating back to the 13th century.

On top of a hill lies the fortified

village of Castelo Rodrigo.

(spirited music)

The castle was built at the end of the 13th century

and for the next few hundred years

did not have a peaceful history

as Portugal suffered from civil war

and the castle, as well as the village inside the walls,

still shows signs of this territorial dispute.

The village still has most of its encircling walls,

and in these more peaceful times,

one of the watchtowers has been turned

into a rather interesting rooftop garden.

In the 16th century, King Philip of Spain

took the town and castle, and the local Portuguese governor

then sided with the Spanish.

When they eventually withdrew,

the local population turned on him

and burnt down his castle-palace in 1640,

and the ruins bear witness to the governor's treachery.

10 miles to the south is Pinhel Castle,

which was once a pivotal point

for a network of fortresses along the border.

The frontier was a dangerous place to be

during the 13th and 14th centuries

as Spanish incursions were frequent

and loyalties often divided.

Castles like Pinhel were often assaulted,

besieged, and then rebuilt.

At Pinhel, much of the wall

surrounding the town still exists,

as do two of the original six towers.

Nearly five centuries later,

during the early part of the 19th century,

the castle was occupied by the French

during the Napoleonic Wars.

They had occupied Spain and were intent

on doing the same with Portugal,

but they were eventually thwarted

by the Portuguese and British forces

under the command of the future Duke of Wellington.

Today, 20 of the border castles survive

as a lasting reminder of centuries of dispute.

From the two remaining towers,

one of the greatest fortresses can be seen to the east,

only a few miles from the border at Almeida.

(tense music)

By the 18th century, two main fortresses

guarded the Portuguese border: Elvas to the south,

and here at Almeida in the north.

The fortifications seen today date from the 17th century

and were built in the latest style by the Spanish

after they had destroyed the earlier castle.

And surrounding the ruins are six bastions

with a dry ditch cut into the solid rock.

It could be armed with 100 guns,

some of which were in fortified emplacements

and protected from enemy artillery.

In August 1810, the Portuguese and British forces

were forced to withdraw from Spain

when faced with a more powerful French army.

Wellington then left a Colonel Cox

to hold Almeida for as long as possible

in order to allow his troops to retreat in safety.

The French besieged the fortress

with a massive show of strength,

but the fortress survived.

However, on the night of the 26th of August,

one of the French guns fired a shell

that by chance landed in the old castle courtyard.

It then ignited a trail of gunpowder

back into the magazine and the cellars

and set off 150,000 pounds of gunpowder

and over 1,000,000 infantry cartridges.

An eye witness recorded that the earth trembled

and a whirlwind of fire rose from the fort

like the bursting of a volcano.

Blocks of stone were hurled into the air

and even killed some of the French troops in their trenches.

Two days later, with no ammunition,

Colonel Cox was forced to surrender Almeida.

He had hoped to hold up the French for several months.

Instead, it was just five weeks.

Almeida stands as a reminder of Portugal's turbulent past,

and it's a dramatic place to end this journey.

(serene music)

(logo whooshing)