In Search of the Grail …

We enter Castelo Branco district through the monumental Portas do Rodão to the south, or through the Serra da Estrela and Malcata mountains to the north, from the start the imposing natural beauty that characterizes the territory. This takes on a distinctive character in the enigmatic Gardunha or in the Natural Park of the International Tagus, in which the deep Tagus, animals and plants reign in the serene silence of nature. And in the Naturtejo Geopark, where geomonuments are the main reason for visiting, the symbiosis is perfect with the rural tranquility of the beautiful villages where time seems to have stopped – where Monsanto, Castelo Novo and Idanha-a-Velha pontificate – with a vast religious heritage and countless fresh water pools and weirs to cool off. Art is manifested in embroidery, at the Boom Festival, in many different spaces and thematic museums, in which the reference to the Museum of the master Cargaleiro is unavoidable. Rich in history, the Castelo Branco district is a true open and living museum that highlights the heritage of the various peoples that occupied it and the Knights Templar, who had their last stronghold in Portugal here. And it is precisely in the path of the Templars that we will travel the medieval paths of the region, between Penha Garcia, Monsanto, Penamacor and Castelo Novo, exploring the testimonies and recognizing the marks left by the warrior monks who, for the most knowledgeable, point the way to the Knowledge…