Vila Nova de Poiares

Between the Mountains of Carvalho, Soutelo, Atalhada and Bidueiro, we find Poiares, cooled by the waters of the Mondego, the Alva and of the Ceira Rivers.  They are blue lines that enhance the scenery with large leafy trees sheltering many singing birds.  In the summer they offer cool shade and are in much demand by happy people in colourful canoes, discovering the peacefulness of the meanders.  They learn the names of the birds and admire the static profile of many fishermen who know exactly where to fish and, by the movement of the buoys, they know if it is a barber or a trout that has been "fooled" by the fishhook. But it is the fine grit stone, the clay, the chestnut trees, the willows and the mimosa trees, that give Vila Nova de Poiares its distinct personality: the baskets made out of oak and mimosa by clever artisans, who have inherited the  knowledge of how to work the wood and continue to eternalise in history the use of many of these pieces. The baskets had special functions and special secrets. Minor changes in the shape made them able to transport salt.

At Ervideira or in Casais we find rows of baskets waiting to be bought.

At Olho Marinho it's the final baking that gives the clay its black colour. Black, as the colour of the smoke that penetrates the pores of the clay that, in this phase, has already got its shape and will be smoking on many tables.  These cooking pots are ideal for the chanfana.
In Ervideira we find, just as in the ancient gynaeceum, patient women changing the shape of the willow wood with a knife. This is a meticulous work, totally inspired in a feminine universe: spinners, spindles, reels or winders.  There are also boats, trees, tables, palm trees or toothpicks, these, they say, have been invented by the nuns of the Monastery of Lorvão.

It is from the diaries of the Monastery of Lorvão that we have learned that Poiares has been inhabited since the middle of the 9th century.

The devotion to Our Lady of Needs is also ancient.  The chapel next to the Risca Silva continues to be a place of worship. 

And, as always, there are always festivities and fireworks on the day before the church celebrations. On the second weekend of August, everyone will be there to renew their faith in Our Lady and attend the festivities.

To end it all, and once it's a celebration, there is always a meal which must include the chanfana.