Álvaro

The village of Álvaro winds languidly along the top of a hill overlooking the Zêzere river, ensconced by the reservoir of the Cabril dam. Glimpsed from the heights of the magisterial landscape that surrounds it, it seems to be white wall guarding the river’s passage. It is one of the “white villages” of the Schist Villages Network. This does not mean that the predominant building material is other than schist. It just means that the great majority of the building facades have been rendered and painted white, with, here and there, garishly coloured door and window openings.Rich in religious heritage, the village was once an important settlement for the religious orders, namely the Order of Malta, which left behind many testaments to its presence. The Misericórdia Church is worth a visit, but to properly appreciate this Village you must do the Chapels circuit. In the chapels you will find very important examples of sacred art, from paintings to unique artefacts, such as an image of the Senhor dos Passos (Our Lord of the Stations of the Cross), a Renaissance tabernacle and a dead Christ among the Holy Women and St. John the Evangelist.At the foot of the village stretches the refreshing reservoir of the Cabril Dam and its river infrastructures, a place to go swimming or simply to appreciate the waves of mountains in the landscape stretching as far as the Serra de Estrela.