Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Medieval bridge

Getting to Ponte de Lima:
The closest airport is at Porto, where the A3 freeway towards Spain passes within 2km of Ponte de Lima (take the Ponte de Lima Sul exit). From the Porto Airport, you can take the airport-bus to Porto and then a bus to Ponte de Lima or Viana do Castelo.
Tourism Office.:
The tourist Office is on Praça da República, which you are likely to pass if you've parked along the road from the A3 exit. Upstairs you can visit a small museum with local handicrafts and historical information. You can get information here for staying in local manor houses as well.
Internet Access in Ponte de Lima:
You can get free internet access at the public library on Largo da Picota, just near by the Igreja Matriz (Matriz Church)
Markets:
The huge Monday market, held twice a month, has been held in Ponte de Lima since 1125.
Ponte de Lima Attractions:

Ponte de Lima is starting to be recognized as a tourist destination. This is neither good nor bad, but depends on what you're looking for--tourist facilities are being added, as well as resort features like golf courses.

There are two plane tree lined walking streets along the Lima river, the Alameda de S. Joao, and the avenida d. Luis Felipe. They offer interesting strolling areas.

The Medieval Bridge is documented to have been started in 1368. It's 277 meters in length and 4 meters in width, with 16 large arches and 14 smaller ones. There are more arches buried below. On the opposite side of the river is the Roman bridge, built for military use between Braga and Astorga.

Across the bridge, the Guardian Angel is a stone quadrangular monument on the banks of the river. It's an ancient chapel, but there's no clue as to when it was erected. It's been rebuilt many times when persistent floods damaged it.

The Capela de Santo Antonio da Torre Velha dominates the scene across the river. To the east of the bridge is a delightful garden which includes a picnic area and a small folk museum.

The fountain in Ponte de Lima's Main Square was completed in 1603 but wasn't located in its present location until 1929, when it was moved to the Largo de Camoes.

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