Leiria

Leiria

One of the major cities on the Silver Coast, Leiria is the administrative capital of the district and located 45 minutes from Praia D’El Rey. Historically, this hilltop village was occupied by the Moors before it was captured by Dom Afonso Henriques I, after which he and his successor rebuilt the fortified walls to prevent further incursions.

[tabs] [tab title=”Culture and History” icon=”icon-key”]During the Middle Ages, Leiria was one of Portugal’s most important towns, and was the setting for several early cortes (feudal parliaments). In the 14th century, it served as a summer royal palace for Dom Dinis, who also restored the castle’s keep tower and transformed the fort into a palace. During this time, Leiria was surrounded by thousands of acres of barren, sandy soil. The forward-thinking Dom Dinis I ordered the planting of beautiful pine forests between the town and the coast, which are still thriving today and known as the Pinhal de Leiria. The timber from these pine trees were used to construct ships used by the Portuguese explorers during the Age of Discoveries. In the late 15th century, Dom Joao I built a Royal Palace within the castle walls of Leiria (which were partially rebuilt in the 20th century), crowning the craggy rocks on the hilltop as the town began to spread towards the Lis River. The Sé Cathedral of Leiria was built in the 16th century in a mix of late Manueline and Mannerist architectural styles.[/tab] [tab title=”Sports and Nature” icon=”icon-leaf”]Today, the city of Leiria is home to some of Portugal’s largest manufacturing industries. The historic old town is a charming place to visit with its cobbled streets and fine old squares and a monthly antiques market is held in nearby Vieira de Leiria.[/tab] [tab title=”Gastronomy” icon=”icon-food”]At Polvoeira beach, colonies of octopus can still be found in the rock pools. This local delicacy is one of the highlights of traditional Portuguese cuisine in this region. Restaurants in and around Leiria specialise in fresh fish and seafood dishes. The seaside town of Vieira de Leiria is well known for its mouthwatering arroz de marisco (seafood rice).[/tab] [/tabs]

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