novacasaportuguesa's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Botafumeiro

This enormous censer uses a pulley system installed over 400 years ago.
Portugal

Drowned Village of Vilarinho da Furna

A submerged village appears when dam levels drop.
Montalegre, Portugal

Ponte da Misarela (Misalera Bridge)

Local lore says the devil built this beautiful medieval bridge to help a fleeing bandit.
Condeixa-a-Velha, Portugal

Conimbriga Ruins and Museum

One of the largest Roman settlements in Portugal.
Braga, Portugal

Bom Jesus do Monte

A stunning 18th-century site where pilgrims ascend by a series of punishing stairs only to return via funicular.
Valongo, Portugal

Valongo Sanatorium

An abandoned tuberculosis hospital said to be haunted by the patients who died within its walls.
Labruge, Portugal

Praia de São Paio

Iron Age runes and ruins hide in plain sight along this Portuguese beach.
Porto, Portugal

Carmo and Carmelitas Churches

A hidden three-foot-wide house separates these two regal churches.
Porto, Portugal

Banco de Materiais (Bank of Materials)

Building owners can take out tiles for free at this repository for historic building materials.
Leça da Palmeira, Portugal

Tidal Pools of Leça da Palmeira

An early work of the architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, these swimming pools blend into the beach.
Porto, Portugal

Livraria Lello

One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world hides a neo-Gothic interior behind an art nouveau facade.
Porto, Portugal

McDonald's Imperial

This restored Portuguese cafe may well be the most beautiful place in the world to grab a Big Mac.
Porto, Portugal

Sao Bento Station

Elaborate tile work in this railway station tells the story of Portugal.
Porto, Portugal

Igreja de São Francisco

The stunning interior of this Gothic church is covered in ornate gold details.
Porto, Portugal

Igreja de São Francisco Catacombs

Ancient catacombs form the foundation for this Rococo orgy of a church.
Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Portugal

Horse of Mazouco

This impressive rupestrian engraving dates back to the Upper Palaeolithic period.
Numão, Portugal

Castle of Numão

An 11th-century medieval castle cascades over the town of Numão.
Almeida, Portugal

Fortress of Almeida

The medieval town's star-shaped walls are geometrically dazzling, though not entirely impenetrable.
Arcozelo, Portugal

Capela do Senhor da Pedra

Picturesque intersection of witchcraft and ancient Christianity.
Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal

Saint Maria Adelaide

An honorary saint of the people, Maria Adelaide became an incorrupt corpse, the clothes intact, exhaling “a strong scent of roses.”
Portugal

Covão dos Conchos

This gaping hole in the middle of a remote mountain lake looks like a portal to another dimension.
Piódão, Portugal

Piódão

Nestled in the mountains of Portugal is a tiny village made almost entirely of schist.
Luso, Portugal

Palace Hotel Bussaco

A majestic hotel for dreamers rises from the center of a fairytale wood.
Elvas, Portugal

Fort of Graça

This star-shaped military outpost is now simply trying to protect itself from neglect.