Amarante

Believed to have been founded by a Roman centurion named Amarantus, Amarante is a picturesque place, backed by Serra do Marao mountain on one side and the Tamega river on the other.

While the town might have its roots in religious life, it is also famous for more earthly pleasures, namely its many vineyards and the variety of sweet pastries made here. Visitors come to the town while on sightseeing or wine tours in the nearby Douro Valley and surrounding areas.

• The festival of Sao Goncalo takes place on the first weekend in June. Locals believe that women who venerate the saint will find love in the coming year.
• To celebrate the feast day, bakers make sweet cakes in phallic shapes; this practice is believed to have originated as a pagan fertility ritual.
• Amarante is a popular stop-off for wine tasting tours in the Douro Valley.
• You can see the tomb of Sao Goncalo in the town’s church.

Amarante is located in north central Portugal, roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of the city of Porto. Most people choose to visit the town by car or as part of a guided tour with round-trip transport. Public buses run between Porto and Amarante.

In the north of Portugal, Amarante enjoys hot summers and fairly mild winters. The most popular time for visitors is during the summer and autumn when sunny days and the vineyards in full growth make for beautiful surroundings. The first weekend of June, when the festival of Sao Goncalo is held, is an especially popular time to visit.

The closest city to Amarante, Porto is famous as the home of port wine, but it’s also a thriving cultural center. The city is split by the Douro River, and you’ll find a row of port tasting rooms, south of the riverbank. The famous Livraria Lello bookshop—said to have inspired JK Rowling’s famous wand shop Flourish and Blotts in the Harry Potter books—is located on the north bank, on Rua das Carmelitas.