Interpretation Center of Serra da Estrela promotes Route of the Terraces

The Interpretation Center of Serra da Estrela (CISE), based in Seia, Guarda district, promotes on Thursday an interpretative route through the Route of the Terraces, in the surroundings of the village of Cabeça, was announced today.

The pedestrian route, which is part of the network of Mountain Villages Paths, “develops in the surroundings of the picturesque mountain village of Cabeça that, in these days, dresses for Christmas, constituting an excellent opportunity to enjoy nature and traditions more typical of this mountain village, “according to the organization.

The proposed route presents a low degree of difficulty and begins and ends in the village of Cabeça, in the municipality of Seia, in the Serra da Estrela.

“In the course of 2,850 meters, there are terraced areas and on the banks of the river stand forests of azereiros and azevinhos, testimonies of the natural vegetation of the valley in times prior to the last glacial period,” CISE said in a statement today.

The source adds that part of the route is inserted in the study area of the project “Preservation of the Relics of the Continental Laurissilva” (LIFE-Relict) that, in that region, has as main objective the preservation of the existing communities of azereiro.

In the village of Cabeça that hosts, until January 1st, the 5th edition of the “Cabeça, Aldeia Natal” event, stands out the traditional house, considered “one of the best examples of a typical shale moth, Serra da Estrela, “according to CISE.

“The singularity of the village rises in December when the streets win another life and become a true ‘Christmas Village’, boasting an ecological decoration, simple and very creative,” he finishes.

The village of Cabeça offers visitors “a genuine and sustainable celebration, inspired by the values and simplicity of Christmas on the mountain“.

“In this concept, where there is no place for Santa Claus, we find an authentic village where the inhabitants open the doors of their houses, transforming the village and its streets into a true Christmas Village,” according to Seia Municipality.

The “Cabeça, Aldeia Natal” project is the result of a partnership between the Head of the Baldios da Cabeça Head, the Integrated Development Association of the Mountain Villages Network (ADIRAM) and the municipality of Seia.

The initiative is part of the CEE PROVERE iNature Animation Plan, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Center’s 2020 Regional Operational Program.