9h30 - Guided tour of the Refóios Convento de Lima Fence

In the heart of the Lima valley, the beautiful landscapes find a distinct monument. A visit to the Refóios Monastery is a visit through unique corners. The gardens, the cloisters and the monastery, with its large tank and aqueduct, are enchanting discoveries. The visit, however, does not stop there. The fields of cultivation made up of vineyards, olive groves and pastures are added.

The monastery today is owned by the Municipality of Ponte de Lima and, in 1986, the architect Fernando Távora carried out the project to adapt the monastery to Escola Superior Agrária, including the construction of a new building. In 1988, landscape architect Ilídio de Araújo carried out the fence restoration project.

11h30 - Guided tour of the Paço de Vitorino Gardens

In the Paço de Vitorino you will find gardens with a Baroque design that are both mysterious and fascinating. Get to know the chapel, the house, the wine press and the cellars.

Immerse yourself in nature and, in this intimate encounter, find an impressive collection of camellias, the monumental fountain with the statues of Preguiça, Neptuno, Diana and a niche of Nossa Senhora da Conceição as well as the entire water conduction system. The gardens are organized in a succession of walled gardens, formerly vegetable gardens, orchards and olive groves.

12h30 - Lunch at Paço de Vitorino

Paço de Vitorino proposes a true journey through the senses, respecting endogenous products and their seasonality. Each dish combines colors and aromas. A gastronomic experience of quality and creativity that promises to surprise the most demanding palates.

As a family home for several generations, there are recipes that, due to different experiences and personal taste, have always been presented at the table when guests were received. This tradition continues and so we are waiting for you...

14h30 - Guided tour to the Paço de Calheiros Gardens

With wide views over the village, the Lima valley and, at the bottom, the sea is the Paço de Calheiros, a reference in the Alto Minho, whose origin is linked to the institution of the Honor of Calheiros, in 1336, granted by D. Dinis.

The estate is located in the middle of the hillside with the house prominent in the landscape, with its two towers, opposite the Paço de Cardido. It is accessed by a long terrace flanked by trees, which leads us directly to the house. Following on the right, there are several landscaped terraces with wide views, with the vineyards in the foreground, with the boxwood garden in front of the house.

With a lot of art, this estate has kept the old branches that continue to provide the comfort of an unparalleled shade, on paths and fountains that lead us to the old orchards and vegetable gardens and the forest.

16h00 - Guided tour to the Terceiros Museum followed by a walk in the Jardim dos Simples e da Alameda dos Plátanos to the Casa de Nossa Senhora d'Aurora

In the historic center of Ponte de Lima, in the magic of a riverside space, a walk through the Alameda dos Plátanos is irrefutable. At the west end of the lane is the 17th century Church of Nossa Senhora da Guia and, more or less in the center, the complex of the Convents of Santo António and the Third Order of São Francisco, which currently constitute the Terceiros Museum.

The Museu dos Terceiros is a museum dedicated to sacred art. Be sure to visit the Convento de Santo António, the Conventual Church, the Chapel of Nossa Senhora do Rosário, the ante-sacristy and the sacristy.

To complete the visit, another walk, another garden: the Jardim dos Simples - with flower beds where several aromatic and medicinal herbs are installed.

Walk down the Alameda dos Plátanos to Casa de Nossa Senhora d'Aurora.

17h30 - Guided tour to the Gardens of the Casa de Nossa Senhora d'Aurora

The Gardens of the Casa de Nossa Senhora d'Aurora hide secrets and stories. Redesigned in 1875, the gardens are formal, boxwood, with beds filled with azaleas and annual flowers, with bird cages, tables, benches in areas of shade given by notable camellias, lagerstroemias and a bidwillii araucaria over a lake with dolphins in the center surrounded by bamboo. In this area there is a rare example of a paper tree.

At the top of the gardens, next to the wall, a fountain with a back flanking the door that leads to the area of ​​vegetable gardens and agricultural fields with branches and two large tanks. Next to the house there is a fountain with an imposing backrest, dated 1612, with a niche of Nossa Senhora d'Aurora. Through a path covered by ramada you will access the extensive forest, of chestnut, fir, araucaria, false plane trees, holly, laurel, cedar, American oaks, cedars of Buçaco and australia.

Accommodation not included.

9h30 - Guided tour to Quinta da Aveleda with wine tasting paired with cheese

The garden, largely built by Manuel Pedro Guedes, a man touched by French culture and influenced by the art of English gardens, consists of a large forest with winding paths, large areas of shade, tree ferns, acer, acacias, American oaks , eucalyptus, rhododendrons, cork oaks, redwoods, oaks, sycamores, large-flowered magnolias, cedars, virginia tulips, garden cherry trees and a great profusion of camellias and azaleas, a constant with many varieties throughout the garden.

12h00 - Guided tour to the gardens of Casa de Juste

On the terrace of the house, there are flowerbeds essentially with azaleas, walled by a tall boxwood hedge shaped like a giant ball. Behind the house, there is a formal garden within walls with flower beds, sometimes sinuous, sometimes geometric in boxwood, with a central fountain and tank preceded by a wide channel. Winding paths through the forest with a wooden bridge punctuated by rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas.

At the top of the property are two artificial lakes, a smaller one with bamboo and a larger one with an island with washingtonias and fiteiras palms, surrounded by a garden with boxwood and camellia beds. Also of note is the forest composed mainly of oaks, firs, pines, cedars and plane trees.

13h00 - Lunch at Casa de Juste

After a walk, nothing better than to regain energy. Casa de Juste proposes a traditional lunch based on the old recipe of the house with a generous dose of creativity. To all this is added the most precious secret: fresh and high quality endogenous products.

A meal at Casa de Juste is always a warmth for body and soul, a gastronomic journey to childhood memories. Begin with a starter, continue with a soup, a main course and end with dessert. The meal includes 3 wines: a welcome rosé, a white to start and a red to accompany the rest of the meal. In the end, nothing better than a Port to accompany dessert.

The meal can be served in the dining room, overlooking the gardens of the rose, or, on sunny days, outdoors, on the patio, overlooking the Serra de Barrosas.

15h00 - Guided tour to the gardens of Casa da Penha

At Monte da Penha, Casa da Penha is the meeting point with elegant gardens. It is an encounter with silence, with remarkable trees and delicate flowers. Here you can find a real enchanted forest. The garden is essentially made up of labyrinthine winding paths, bounded by granite stones. Benches, nooks, fountains, lookouts, lake with grotto, small frescoed houses, bandstand and tower with bridge are the notes that make this space special. Numerous species, some of notable size, cover the entire park.

From what is planted and resisted until today, almost everything is foreign species - cedars, cypresses, firs, redwoods, araucaria, liquidambar, linden trees - and even those that are closest to us are used only for their ornamental value - arbutus, beech, oak, chestnut trees.

17h00 - Guided tour to the gardens of Casa de Margaride, wine tasting included

In the distance the most beautiful landscapes: the mountains of Penha. Nearby is a special forest with a variety of shapes and colors. The property features a formal garden dominated by high geometric topiaries in holly, camellias and yew trees. The beds have annual plants. In the center, in axis, there is a source of hexagonal tank. Gardenias, carved camellias and a large and tall arbor of remarkable camellia forming an impressive frescoed house equipped with a table and bench in carved stone give unique touches to this beautiful garden.

On the terrace of the house there is a large tank and a cruise, from the disappeared Recolhimento do Anjo, in Guimarães. To complete: the rose garden and the orange trees, the vineyards and fields of cultivation.

The trip is also for flavors, with the tasting of organic house wine and appetizers.