If you’re a mountain lover and enjoy exploring nature, you might like the proximity of the Corno de Bico Protected Area (located in the mountain parishes of Paredes de Coura, classified as Regional Landscape). You may also like to wander around an important location of the Rede Natura 2000 (community classifying). These two protected areas network with both the Peneda-Gerês National Park (in the neighboring municipalities of Arcos de Valdevez and Ponte da Barca) and the Protected Landscape area of the Esposende coastline in the north coast.
From a historical, heritage and cultural point of view, Rubiães valley and its surroundings offer a variety of cultural and ethnographic values, duly classified and identified in several Routes that cross the Minho lands, the most important being the Roman Way of Ribeira Minho. In fact, since the IV Roman Military Way, passing through Rubiães, it connected Braga to Astorga, in the period of Romanization, and was signaled by Milestones along the way (milestone to be seen at the front door of the Quinta). In the Middle Ages, this route gave way to the Caminho de Santiago and it confines with the Quinta do Crasto. Also of roman-medieval origin, is the Rubiães Bridge which is part of the Caminho de Santiago, linking the route from Rubiães St. Peter´s Church. This church was built in the 13th century and is classified as a National Monument. In the neighboring parish, Romarigães, you will find Casa Grande de Romarigães, immortalized by Aquilino Ribeiro in the book with the same title. From that point you can walk along the Pedestrian Route named as Caminhos de Aquilino.
The Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of Conception), built in 1719, is referred to in the Parish Memoirs of 1758.
Feel free to explore the entire area of the Quinta to get to know the local fauna and flora.
Explore the fauna and flora characteristic of the Minho and Galician landscape.
The Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of Conception), built in 1719, is referred to in the Parish Memoirs of 1758. After being in ruins for a few years, it was rebuilt at the end of the 19th century when the first works of expansion and rehabilitation of Quinta do Crasto took place, carried out by the Teixeira Pinto family.
As part of the present rehabilitation works, we restored the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição with the aim of installing in it the Alto Minho Interpretation Center, available to our guests and to pilgrims visiting us.
In the Chapel we pay homage to the memory of António Teixeira Pinto, head of the National Secretariat of Propaganda (SNI) North, for the relevant work in spreading the Minho culture as poet, writer, journalist and active promoter of the region. His bibliographic collection as well as some of the original furniture of the House can now be found at the Chapel.
At Casa Quinta do Crasto you may, upon request, take a bicycle ride in the surroundings: along the Camino de Santiago, the Coura River valley, the river banks and beaches, the Roman/Medieval Bridge, the St. Peter’s Roman Church, the nearby Necropolis, Cossourado ruins, plus plenty more ethnographic and community heritage that characterizes our valley.
Terras de Coura, in addition to its cultural richness, stands as a typical area of the Minho fauna and flora, namely the decicious groves that stand out in the Minho and Galician Landscape.
We offer tours around the region, including the Protected Landscape of Corno de Bico, the area included in the Natura 2000 Network and the viewpoints of Saint Rita and Saint Silvestre, emblematic places where you can contemplate the neighboring lands to Galicia and the Minho river.
Please find further information about the Minho territory and landscape inside the Chapel.
Isabel Maria Matias
casa@casaquintadocrasto.pt
+ 351 967 039 096
Caminho do Crasto, 289
4940-687 Rubiães
Paredes de Coura
Portugal
