Piodao – access, map, parking, sightseeing, interesting facts, accommodation

End of the world

People don't come to Piodao for the historical sites. They come here to experience and experience the truly indigenous Portuguese atmosphere and the character of this deep Portuguese province.

Take a look at the map above. I've marked Piodao's location. At first glance, this small village seems to have a very favorable location. In the center of Portugal, about 90 km as the crow flies from the coast and 50 km from Coimbra, the regional capital. However, first impressions are very deceiving. In reality, Piodao is one of the most isolated places in Portugal . Until the early 70s, there was no road accessible by car. The last 12 kilometers were only accessible by foot or horseback. The first regular road connection was established only in 1972. Today, only 120 people live here, and since 1950 (when the population was 1125), Piodao has been steadily depopulating.

To be honest, however, adding a paved road probably didn't really change much, as the road to Piodao remains very long and tiring. This is due to the terrain. Piodao lies deep in the Serra do Acor mountains , and to get there you have to negotiate a million hairpin bends. Depending on the direction you're coming from, the road can be of varying quality. In our case, for a long stretch, it ran along a narrow ledge on the hillside, only the width of a single car. At times, it looked as if it hadn't been repaired since its construction in 1972. To my right was the mountainside, and to my left, a drop. I kept my right mirror pressed against the wall, constantly feeling like my left wheel barely fit over the edge of the escarpment.

We left Piodao in a different direction and on a different road. Its quality and width were much better, so where you plan to get here is important.

Traditional buildings

The long isolation of Piodao meant that the village retained its traditional character and did not succumb to the influence of modern construction and architectural fashions. When building everything in the village, the inhabitants were forced to use the materials they had on hand. In this way, the limitation related to the lack of a road significantly influenced the appearance of the village. Everything in the village is made of common stone slate and wood. The inhabitants of Piodao perfected the use of stone with a characteristic flat shape, making it even beautiful, shapely, flat and slender roof tiles. They can make almost anything out of stone slate. Even plates in the restaurant. Their excellent knowledge of the material and the highest skill in using it is evidenced by the fact that many houses in Piodao were built without the use of mortar.
The whole picture is complemented by wooden windows and doors, painted in traditional colors: white and blue.

The entire town is exceptionally coherent in this respect, even ascetic. The cleanliness of the preserved building form is very pleasing to the eye and walking around the village is a great pleasure. It's worth going further and looking everywhere.

Piodao - sightseeing

Piodao is tiny and you'll see it all very quickly. No plan needed here. The parking lot whose coordinates I have provided below is right next to the main square of the town. From your fingertips you can immediately see the characteristic white church (Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Conceicao), to the right of it the museum, and to the left the rest of the city. You can see everything at your fingertips and you immediately know where to go. Take a walk around the town (it only has a few short streets), see the church, the museum, go down to the river and the stone bridges, then you can come back and... after half an hour you've seen everything.

You can check the street layout in the village and the location of the parking lot on the map below.

Or maybe to Foz d'Egua?

After the tour, you'll probably feel a bit unsatisfied, especially since the drive was challenging. You'd love more of Piodao! But don't worry, I've got a surprise for just such a situation. Piodao is the starting point of the short Trilho PR2.1 trail , which offers a pleasant stroll to the neighboring, even smaller, stone village of Foz d'Egua . The trail follows a narrow, dirt path, and you'll need shoes with good soles (beach flip-flops are out of the question).

Foz d'Egua is small and beautiful. Houses, stone bridges, a river (and even a mini beach), all surrounded by lush greenery. Like in a fairy tale.

The trail is approximately 3 km long in one direction , so you should allow about 2 hours to complete the round trip at a leisurely, leisurely pace. A trail map and GPS coordinates of landmarks to help you navigate the terrain can be found below.

Useful data and GPS coordinates

Point (1) on the map – beginning of the trail to Foz d'Egua, GPS coordinates:
40°13’56.2″N 7°49’29.0″W
40.232276, -7.824727
After leaving Piodao, when you see a small cemetery behind a small wall on your right, leave the main road to the left, onto a dirt path (like the man in the picture below). The car and the dog lying there will probably no longer be there, although I have some doubts about the dog. He was so focused on maximum laziness that maybe he's still there :)

Point (2) on the map – end of the trail in Foz d'Egua, GPS coordinates:
40°14’48.9″N 7°48’45.5″W
40.246903, -7.812630 - click and route

Parking by the road, which is the entry and exit loop from Piodao, GPS coordinates:
40°13’43.4″N 7°49’31.7″W
40.228711, -7.825459 - click and route

Several parking spaces can also be found in the small square at the end of the entrance loop, GPS coordinates:
40°13’45.3″N 7°49’30.2″W
40.229247, -7.825059 - click and route

Accommodation in Piodao

Piodao is tiny, so the choice of accommodations – [click] – is naturally limited. Below are a few suggestions. Clicking on any of them will take you to a detailed description and will also display several similar accommodations available nearby. This should make your search much easier.

Casa da Padaria – [click]

INATEL Piodao – [click]

Portugal sightseeing plan

This entry is part of a complete one Portugal sightseeing plan - [click]. The guide contains plans, maps and descriptions of specific sightseeing routes.
To see all currently available descriptions of attractions in Portugal, click on the link: Continental Portugal - [click].

Safe car rental guide: Portugal - car rental without credit card, no deposit

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