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Not far from Spain, located in Northern of Portugal, Trancoso is a fascinating old medieval town, created as a defensive military fortress in the 12th century by the first king of Portugal, Dom Afonso Henriques. The impressive medieval gate was built in homage to the king Dom Dinis. He married Isabel of Aragon in Trancoso in 1282, and gave the town to the queen. He also set up a fair that was exempt of taxes - this lies at the origin of the great Fair that happens in Trancoso every year in the month of August. The city became an important Jewish centre, especially between the 14th and 15th centuries. One of the most celebrated personages of Trancoso was the mysterious poet and cabalistic Bandarra - who lived between 1500 and 1545 - by many compared to Nostradamus. Fernando Pessoa was deeply inspired by him.
To arrive in Trancoso is easy: there are highway connections both from Lisbon and Oporto, and also excellent train connections. Location map:
some links: Hotel Turismo de Trancoso - http://www.hotel-trancoso.com/ http://viajar.clix.pt/pt/dst3141.php?lg=en http://www.maisturismo.pt/1/2571.html http://www.travel-images.com/portugal19.html http://www.meetinportugal.com/mpg/1/2571.html http://www.planetware.com/portugal/trancoso-p-guard-tranc.htm |
the city of TRANCOSO
