On the slope of the Serra da Aboboreira, at an altitude of about 750 meters, is Almofrela, village of the parish of Campelo, in the municipality of Baião. Amongst a beautiful agricultural mosaic of meadows and fields, punctuated by trees and flowers, lurks a small cluster of houses of traditional architecture, eiras, granaries and levadas. But as is normal in this type of mountain villages, gastronomy, festivals and pilgrimages and its people are the main points of interest for those visiting Almofrela. And when it comes to tastes, whether it's summer or winter, the Tasquinha do Fumo is a must-stop.
Old tavern recovered and transformed into a restaurant, owes its success to the quality of its typical dishes, made with ingredients from the earth and the traditional way. Indulge in the bazulaque and the roasted baked rice or sit on a chaise lounger by the fireplace while savoring a freshly-baked blend of baking soda or the unique taste of coffee made in a clay pot. Do not forget to visit the chapel of São Brás dos Bugalhos, a simple whitewashed temple in the center of the village where, on the first weekend of February, the Feast of São Brás takes place.
In the village there is a small hostel in the building of the old primary school, adapted to welcome some of the many tourists and mountaineers that pass by. It is that Almofrela is included in the pedestrian route called "Pedras, Moinhos e Aromas de Santiago", a course of 15 kilometers that every year brings thousands of hikers, interested in the rurality, traditions, fauna, flora and geology of Abororeira . It is also worth noting that, in the immediate vicinity of the village, within a radius of five kilometers, the Archaeological Field of Serra da Aboboreira and its important set of megalithic monuments deserve special attention, of which stands the National Monument of Parada. An Outdoor History Lesson!
