Videmonte – Mondego Walkways Entrance
Videmonte is a parish belonging to the municipality of Guarda. It covers an area of 53.92 km² and has 980 inhabitants. It belongs to the network of Mountain Villages and part of its land is inserted in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park.
Located on one of the slopes of Serra da Estrela, this parish is one of the highest in the country, reaching an average altitude of about 1000 meters, although there are some places that exceed this altitude.
It is also in this parish that the highest point in the municipality is found, at 1287 meters, called the Cabeça Alta geodesic landmark.
In addition to the Cabeça Alta summit, the Carvalhinho and Outeiro das Cruzes summits are also worth mentioning.
It is located 22 km from Guarda, borders Celorico da Beira and is crossed by the River Mondego, which gives it impressive natural landscapes and makes it perfect for sports and contact with nature.
The buildings are typical Beira houses, in granite, which blends in with the surrounding landscape.
Name Origin
The origin of the name Videmonte is due to an old popular legend: There were two different places – Vide and Monte, not far from each other. In Monte lived a gentleman who went to Mass at Vide every Sunday. On a certain summer day, a plague of giant ants attacked the population of Vide, even killing some children. For his protection, the inhabitants of Vide took refuge in Monte, where the nobleman lived. And that is how, from the combination of the two words, the term Videmonte emerged.
Until October 24, 1855, Videmonte belonged to the municipality of Linhares, but due to its extinction, on that date, it has since become part of the municipality of Guarda.
Economic Activities
In Videmonte we can find various economic activities, such as agriculture, pastoralism, carpentry, metalwork, civil construction, pastoralism, forestry companies and small businesses.
It is also worth noting the presence of a Wind Farm, with sixteen wind turbines.
Gastronomy
The cuisine is rich, varied and much appreciated. Special mention should be made of Serra da Estrela cheese, curd cheese, smoked meats, balls of water, olive oil, or pork meat, chestnut paparote broth and pork slaughter soup.
Sights
We can mention as places of greater tourist interest the Cultural Center of Videmonte, the Açude do Bicho, Lugar dos Barrocais, Pátio da “Ti Torres”, Casa Abrigo, Casa Paroquial and Casas Novas.
The festivals and pilgrimages of greatest interest are the Festa de Nossa Senhora de Lourdes and the Festa de Santo Antão. However, the patron saint of the parish is S. João Batista.
Cultural Heritage
As built heritage, the Mother Church of Videmonte, the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Lourdes, the Chapel of Santo António and the Chapel of Santo Antão deserve to be mentioned.
Points of Interest to Visit
Be sure to visit the places of greatest interest that we recommend: the River Beach of Quinta da Taberna, the Geosite of Quinta da Taberna, the Community Oven.
The recent construction of the Mondego Walkways has given greater visibility to the parish of Videmonte. The Walkways begin in this parish, which will lead to greater proximity to the region’s tourism. Furthermore, its natural, environmental, cultural and historical heritage will undoubtedly be much more recognized and appreciated.