the Prettiest Place In Portugal You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of • Indie Traveller

Monsanto is a unique Medieval village in Portugal where many of the houses are sandwiched between, or even under, giant granite boulders.

When I stumbled upon Monsanto, I felt like I’d found a special little place. Besides its extraordinary rock houses, its mountaintop location also gives spectacular views of the surrounding valleys filled with higgety-piggety farmlands with olive trees and little stone walls. Further up the mountain are some impressive ruins of a Templar Knights castle.

Located about a 3-hour drive from Lisbon, it isn’t near any of the most popular travel destinations in Portugal — but it’s worth the trip.

Monsanto’s unique houses

Monsanto occupies a historically strategic location close to the border with Spain. Establishing a settlement in this location meant that it had to be built on some difficult terrain. The 758m high mountain is strewn with massive boulders, which were simply integrated into the town. Many of the houses are built between, on…