Local History of Castanheira de Pera and Coentral, the Ice Houses, Praia das Rocas, Gastronomy and Traditional Hats

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> Activity Holidays			The Council of Castanheira de Pera, created on the 4th of July 1914, consists of two parishes (Castanheira de Pera and Coentral) and covers an area of 67.8 square kilometres in the centre of Portugal at an average altitude of 600 meters. In its early years, Castanheira de Pera played a major role in the transportation of ice from the mountain range of Lousã (Santo António da Neve) to Lisbon.
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> Places to Visit				Seven stone houses (poços) were constructed to store and protect the ice from the sun. Cut into large blocks, the ice was placed onto horse drawn carts and taken to Contância where it was transferred to boats on the River Tejo (Rio Tejo) and continued its journey to Lisbon. Today, only three of the ´ice houses´ remain and are a tourist attraction of this region, the buildings are now listed under decree 1/86 dated 3rd January.
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			Textile production followed and for decades brought jobs and prosperity to the area. During the 1970´s Castanheira de Pera was the third largest textile producer of the country.
			Today, one of the biggest tourist attractions to this region is the Parque Azul/Praia Fluvial das Rocas.
			Praia das Rocas is a large open air swimming pool/leisure complex, located in the centre of Castanheira de Pera. The warm waters of the Ribeira de Pera are cast ashore forming a magical place where tropical palms coexist with the mountain range of Lousã. An island of palm trees sits in the centre of the beach pool, a separate pool of 2,100 m² contains the wave machine (the largest in the country) beside a lagoon. The whole environment is one where dreams and reality merge. You can also enjoy row boating on the lagoon, for children pedlo swans are available. Spend a night on one of the yachts moored in the marina, built specifically to counteract the motion of the river, or stay in one of the 6 bungalows which stand on the edge of the lagoon with unrivaled views of the mirror of water. Castanheira de Pera is an area to discover!
			Gastronomy
			Something for everyone, the gastronomy of this region has great variety, capable of satisfying the most diverse tastes of its visitors. There is cabrito assado (roast goat), trutas de escabeche (fish in a vinegar sauce), serrabulho (a dish made from pig´s blood), quiejo de cabra (goat´s cheese), arroz de cabidela de cabrito (rice with goat giblets) and the delicious Mel de Urze (honey nectar from the mountain range of Lousã). There are many other unforgettable flavours that characterize the taste and gastronomy of this region.
			For appreciators of good food, November is ´gastronomica´ when plates of lamb, deer, wild boar and duck with chestnuts are available, along with many other dishes whose recipes contain a variety of autumn fruits.
			Traditional Hats
			Symbol of Friendship and Fraternity Os Barretes (woollen hats), a symbol of wealth and textile tradition of this area, are the product of the last factory in the world to manufacture them. Black ´berretes´ are typical of the Saloia region, green with a single band are typical of the Litoral Piscatório. They are worn to protect the head and ears from the winds of winter.
			Although well known in Ribatejo, Póvoa de Varzim and Nazaré, few people are aware that the only place in the country that ´berretes´ are manufactured is Castanheira de Pera. Os Berretes produced today are slightly different to that of the original design, however the original weaving machine is still used. The ´berretes´ are given as gifts to visitors.
			Source of information - Translation of the Municipio Castanheira de Pera brochure
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