Ponte de Lima

Ponte de Lima, on the southern bank of the Lima River in the Viana do Castelo District, is the oldest vila in Portugal and takes its name from its medieval bridge. Its first charter, granted on March 4, 1125, holds the earliest reference to a market here, and every second Monday it still holds one of the largest country markets in Portugal. The countryside around has the largest concentration of baroque manors in the country, and the town is known across Portugal for its red Vinho Verde and its sarrabulho rice. Vinho Verde means young wine, released three to six months after harvest. The Feiras Novas fill the second weekend of September.