This modest hamlet among the olive groves encapsulates the history of Portugal.
Discreet signposts and explanations in Portuguese, French and English guide
visitors round the landmarks of this fascinating living museum.

Idanha-a-Velha was, it is said, the birthplace of the Visigothic King Wamba, and
had its own bishop until 1199. The present appearance of the cathedral  comes from early 16th-century restoration, but in the
echoing interior are stacked inscribed and sculpted Roman stones.

In the middle of the village stand several historic monuments: a 17th-century
pillory and the Renaissance Igreja Matriz , while near an early
20th-century olive press is a ruined Torre dos Templários , a
relic of the Templars. This order of religious knights held sway in Idanha until
the 14th century.