Sistelo, in the municipality of Arcos de Valdevez, is a village as remote as it is special. It is a Cultural Landscape and National Monument, a sanctuary of biodiversity, a luxuriant garden on the slopes of the crystal-clear and inspiring River Vez.

The best way to discover this breathtaking place is to walk slowly and in silence.  Whether it's along ancient paths, the sensory ecovia by the river or trails with panoramic views of the terraces, the Vez and Miño valleys and the hills of Galicia.  Pure visual dazzle guaranteed.

But for those who aren't keen on hiking, there are several viewpoints that allow you to contemplate the landscape from different angles and perspectives.
And don't stop there, go further. Explore the history of this village, find out about its traditions and cultural particularities, because perhaps the archaic world of the past has some useful lessons for the urbanised, fast-paced and hyper-technological societies of the present and the future. Who knows?

And without detracting from the countless anonymous figures without whom this legacy would not exist, we suggest you discover the journey of the Viscount of Sistelo and the Viscountess Júlia Labourdonnay, a painter who travelled and exhibited between Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon and Paris. This surely makes her one of the most important female figures in Luso-Brazilian art in the transition from the 19th to the 20th century.

And don't miss a visit to the cultural landscape interpretation centre at Casa do Castelo, a building commissioned by the Viscount of Sistelo and his brother, the Viscount of Rio Vez. Once there, don't miss a ten-minute video about the cycle of maize and bread. It's as brief as it is essential for a proper understanding of the terraced landscape and the rural world of Alto Minhoto.

Do it in the calm of a whole day. Don't go to Sistelo for the sake of it,  mistake that you shouldn't fall into, because there's so much to discover there.