In order that you can make the most of your stay in Alvarenga, we would like to leave you some suggestions to better enjoy the experience of visiting this territory. Arouca is synonymous of Nature and here you can find some of the most beautiful places in Portugal.
Whether you are taking a walk through Serra da Freita, walking along our walkways or crossing the distinctive 516 Bridge, we are sure that you will experience unforgettable moments.
Just a ten-minute drive from Casa do Soutinho we have the famous Paiva Walkways, an 8 km long route built in wood, an internationally awarded infrastructure and considered several times as the best attraction of adventure tourism and recently as the best European tourist attraction.
It was near the Paiva Walkways, next to the Aguieiras waterfall that bridge 516 Arouca was born, yet another unique work that makes the region a global reference.
One of the largest suspended pedestrian bridges in the world, which connects the two river banks of Alvarenga and Canelas, 175 meters above the Paiva River.
Come, observe the unique nature, and live an unforgettable experience.
If your stay is between the months of October and May, do not miss the opportunity to go rafting on the best Portuguese river, the Paiva River, an international reference for the practice of this activity. The rafting route is selected depending on the flow of the river and the client’s profile.
An experience with a lot of adrenalin and fun, in which social interaction is guaranteed.
If your stay is between May and September, we suggest you explore the cascades and streams up close, passing through natural pools, slopes and waterfalls. That is what canyoning provides, going down the river with ropes, on a course of rare beauty that will forever, be registered in your memory. Come combine adrenalin and emotion in refreshing waters during hot summer days.
Its magic and enchantment, the air of a lost paradise that it reveals to those who delve into it, make Serra da Freita one of the crossing points and compulsory stops at the Arouca Geopark.
A visit to the Casa das Pedras Parideiras, passing through the panoramic view of Detrelho da Malhada and a visit to the Frecha da Mizarela viewpoint are some of the places that you should include in your itinerary.
Arouca has a very rich Historical Heritage. In the Historic Center of this village, visit the Monastery and its Sacred Art Museum, the Capela da Misericórdia, Praça Brandão de Vasconcelos and Calvário and feel like you are travelling to medieval times.
Include gastronomic experiences during your stay that will leave you wanting to come back. Do not miss the opportunity to enjoy the famous Arouquesa meat, the ex-libris of our region’s gastronomy. Typical dishes are a must, ranging from the famous Bife de Alvarenga to Posta Arouquesa, and the oven roasted Arouquesa veal. To sweeten your mouth, enjoy the wide range of convent sweets that Arouca has to offer.
To sweeten your taste buds, lose yourself in the wide range of Convent confectionery that Arouca has to offer.
CONVENTUAIS by Jorge Bastos arose from the desire to bring Arouca’s Convent Sweets to the world!“From the Arouca Convent to Portugal.. to the world”
It is a company made up of a dynamic team, with a history in Convent Confectionery in Arouca, which intends to keep this heritage genuine and alive, by preserving its recipes and the entire production process.
Jorge Bastos comes from a family with 3 generations (great-grandmother, grandmother, father and mother) dedicated to Convent Sweets in Arouca.
The recipes were passed down from generation to generation, having acquired the “know-how” of this noble confectionery by observing his father and grandmother’s hands at work. The main sale point is located in the heart of the Historical Centre of Arouca, at Praça Brandão de Vasconcelos.
The production factory is in Avenida Reinaldo Noronha, right next to Hotel S. Pedro This team proudly promotes the heritage of our Monastery, in a family history.
PINGUÇA liqueurs, genuinely Portuguese, want to contribute to the image of a more “irreverent” Portugal through a “cosmopolitan” design. They came from a very old book, full of liqueur recipes and the desire of two young architects to boost local agriculture.
The Project was created in November 2012 by the architects Pedro Noronha Dias and Filipa Casaca, who, with a lot of imagination, characteristic of the profession they chose, set out to “reinterpret old liqueur recipes, combining a clear and minimalist design in the bottles capable of export the image of what is being done again in this Portugal full of creative ideas…”
Despite still taking its first steps, Pinguça liqueurs aim to change the way national production is seen and show that old recipes provided by the hand of “Avó Micas” can be combined with Portuguese products producing “Made in Portugal” liqueurs.
They differ from other liqueur brands due to the design of the bottle, the reinterpretation of old family recipes and the small boost they intend to give to local agriculture, namely in some villages in the municipality of Arouca – Alvarenga and Bouceguedim – where the ingredients for this “elixir” that is intended for success.
This whole liqueur production process began in a small and simple regional kitchen. Despite the little space available, the vats in the corners used to house the fruits and spices dipped in brandy during the “infusion” period; the stove where the large, aged pots used to boil the sugar and water until it was “on point” and the table where the bottling was carried out with the help of friends who were there for large meetings of support and encouragement.
PINGUÇA liqueurs can serve as an aperitif, a toast for special moments in life, or even as a pleasant company on a long night of conviviality and conversation with friends. The flavors “Avó Micas”, Bosque and Cocoa are now available.
Although the young drivers of this project have the brand at the beginning of their journey, they already have a regular presence at some national product fairs, looking for reference partners as points of sale in each of the Portuguese cities.
Destilaria Eduardo Noronha Dias
Lugar de Miúdal sn
4540-037, Alvarenga Arouca