Lapas Caves are a network of artificial galleries developed beneath the houses of the village with the same name. This urban area has been raised in a small elevation corresponding to a fluvial terrace of Almonda river, from the Quaternary, composed by a specific geological material, the calcareous tufa. As it was easy to cut, this material was widely used in building construction for several centuries across the region. the origin of the caves remains a big mystery. Perhaps it eas a big tufa underground quarry, but there are no effetive elements to date it. several theories have been formulated: primitively used as shelters in natural cavities that could preexist, or places of refuge to early Chistians or even a tufa extraction station in the Roman Era. There are also references to the Moorish times in the legens... For sure one knows that the village was already named as Lapas in 1212 [a Portuguese word that mans small caves in a rock], as it appears in the foudation date of Lapas Brotherhood. The oldest materials found during the archeological works are from the 15th century and there are document sources from the 18th century referring the galleries as already abandoned. This is certainly one of the most singular heritage places in the country. You cam walk inside a fluvial terrace, get to know better the calcareous tufa and understand the particular interaction between the galleries and the medieval village raised on its top, among other historical facts and local characteristics. Engage yourself in this unnique environment and make your own theory about what happened here.
The Caves of Coin Scientific and environmental interpretation Centre (CICA gm) is characterized by being an informative, didactic and scientific space. It is a place where students, tourists and public in general can find answers to the mul ...
The Coin Caves (Grutas da Moeda) are located in São Mamede, municipality of Batalha. Its discovery happened in 1971, as two huntsmen that were chasing a fox, saw it enter by one natural hole under the bushes. Moved by curiosity, they decide ...
The CARSOSCÓPIO - Alviela Ciência Viva Centre is an interactive facility built on promoting science and technology revolving around three interactive exhibits that basically discuss the local Limestone Geological Plates, their origins and t ...
The paleontological site of the dinosaurs in Pedreira do Galinha, discovered in 1994, is located in Serra d''Aire. This deposit is one of the most important in the world record, presenting hundreds of sauropod footprints.
The complex also presents a walking trail of approximately 2km that takes visitors past many different and typical karsic geological phenomena of rare beauty. One of these attractions is the Amiais stream. This unique stream flows at the su ...
The Minde "Pincha" is a curious upwelling phenomena that is thought to have appeared due to the layering of sediment deposits on the edges of a lake that is believed to have existed in this area in the Glaciation Period – Quaternary. This G ...
The Alviela River Spring is located on the base of a cliff between the national limestone plate region and the lower Tagus tertiary basin. Here, a range of 150 million year old rocks are found together (Jurassic limestone and Tertiary sands ...
The Santo António Plateau is located in the heart of the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park, east of the Candeeiros Mountain and south of the Aire Mountain and the São Mamede Plateau. The Santo Antonio Plateau harbors an uncommon kars ...
