This serene medieval hamlet is dramatically set at 862 m (2,828 ft) on a
spectacular escarpment facing Spain. Its 13th-century walls and 17th-century
buttresses blend seamlessly into the granite of the mountains, making it an
impregnable stronghold. The Romans, who called the outcrop Herminius Minor, were
followed by the Moors – the name may have come from Marvan, a Moorish leader –
whom the Christians evicted with difficulty only in 1166.

The walls completely enclose the little collection of white-washed houses, a pousada  and the 15th-century Igreja Matriz .
Rua do Espírito Santo leads past the former governor’s house (now a bank) with
its 17th-century iron balcony, and a Baroque fountain, up towards the castle .

Built by King Dinis in about 1299, the castle dominates the village. Its walls
enclose two cisterns, a museum displaying historic weapons and a keep. The
castle offers spectacular views south and west towards the Serra de São Mamede
and east to the Spanish frontier.

The Museu Municipal , in the former church of Santa Maria,
retains the main altar, and has an interesting exhibition of traditional
remedies and local archaeological finds dating from Palaeolithic to Roman
times.