サンタ・マリア・ダ・フェイラ周辺のアトラクション＆必見スポット - トップ20

海に面した松林を通る美しい道。道がしばしば横たわる木の板の区間によって中断されるため、一部は少しギクシャクします。

The Capela do Senhor da Pedra is one of Portugal's most iconic and photogenic chapels, located on a rocky promontory on Miramar Beach in Vila Nova de Gaia, about a 20-minute drive from downtown Porto.

Stunning chapel on the beach – what is often overlooked is that this rock was a sacred place for worship for generations before christianity / catholicism built here. There is a real presence and energy about this place. Visit in the early morning to avoid the crowds, and enjoy a moment of quiet. Sunset is pretty much always busy here.

Nice and calm in traffic conditions. Offers some protection in windy conditions.

Resin is a secretion specific to plant species, more abundant in resinous plants, expelled when they suffer damage or wounds to the trunks/branches. It is a translucent, sticky, viscous liquid, brownish-yellow in colour and with a characteristic odour, and is distinguished from sap by the latter being a relatively clear, aqueous substance with different purposes. The resin's function is to protect the tree from environmental aggressions, stimulate healing, regulate growth and repel herbivores. Resin is a complex mixture of organic components, called terpenes, which are insoluble in water but soluble in certain organic solvents, such as hydrocarbons, ether and ethanol. In Portugal, the main resin-producing species of commercial interest are the Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster) and the Stone Pine (Pinus pinea), with the Maritime Pine being the most prominent species. The main resin producing regions in Portugal are the Central Coast (Districts of Leiria and Coimbra) and the North and Central Interior (Districts of Viseu and Vila Real).

In the coastal village of Miramar, in Gulpilhares, Vila Nova de Gaia, stands a small chapel built on top of a rock, facing away from the sea. Small but monumental, fragile but strong, unreal and yet true, that is the beautiful Capela do Senhor da Pedra. Looking from afar, it seems as if the Atlantic will swallow it up on the first stormy night, but three centuries have passed since its construction, and it remains standing firm. Perhaps it is because of the rock on which it stands - a place of worship for over two thousand years. As the inscription on the tile mosaic framed at the entrance to the chapel attests, the giant stone originally housed a pagan temple, possibly Celtic. When Christianity arrived in Portugal, efforts were made to Christianise the territory and free it from its pagan roots. The site where the Capela do Senhor da Pedra now stands was then chosen to "reclaim" the land from heretics, but despite the conversion to the Christian faith, secret ceremonies linked to pagan worship still take place on full moon nights. It is said that it is common to find melted candles left by neo-pagan worshippers on the rocks and sand next to the chapel, but I did not see any.

The beach with the most extraordinary scenery near Porto is the Praia do Senhor da Pedra in the small coastal town of Arcozelo. In 2015 it was voted the most beautiful beach in Europe. This huge sandy beach in the very north of Praia de Miramar owes its name to the Senhor da Pedra chapel with its hexagonal floor plan, which was built on rocks in the middle of the beach. The beach, which has good infrastructure, is usually very busy (we were alone there). Every year there is a large pilgrimage in honor of Senhor da Pedra, which begins on the Sunday of the Most Holy Trinity (a movable holiday in June) and lasts three days.

One of the most beautiful beaches in the Porto area, the church on the beach is a real eye-catcher.