Introduction to Viseu

97km (60 miles) E of Aveiro; 92km (57 miles) NE of Coimbra; 291km (180 miles) NE of Lisbon

The capital of Beira Alta, Viseu is a thriving provincial city. It's also a city of art treasures, palaces, and churches. Its local hero is an ancient Lusitanian rebel leader, Viriatus. At the entrance of Viseu is the Cova de Viriato, where the rebel, a combination Spartacus and Robin Hood, made his camp and plotted the moves that turned back the Roman tide.

Some of the country's most gifted artisans ply their trades in and around Viseu. Busy weaver women create the unique quilts and carpets of Vil de Moinhos, local artisans of Molelos produce the region's provincial pottery, and women with nimble fingers embroider the town's feather-fine bone lace.