Description Valongo

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The creation of the municipality of Valongo dates back to the year 1836 and occurs in the context of the administrative reform of the country, included in the reign of D. Maria II. However, human occupation of this region predates Romanization.

With an area of ??75.12 square kilometers and about 100 thousand inhabitants, where the cities of Alfena, Ermesinde and Valongo live together with the towns of Campo and Sobrado, the Municipality of Valongo has a strategic location in the northern coastal region of Portugal. The municipality is crossed by highways and railways, which place it just minutes from Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport and the Port of Leixões.

To discover Valongo is to enjoy a place that Nature has breathed with unique riches, distributed by geology, fauna and flora, which Man knew how to explore, creating a unique landscape, where the Serra de Santa Justa and Pias stand out, integrated in the Natura 2000 Network and that are part of the Parque das Serras do Porto.

The county is marked throughout the year by parties, pilgrimages and fairs aimed at reviving the local identity brands, where you can appreciate the Regueifa and the Biscoito, the handicraft of chalk and the traditional toys of wood and plate.
It is also in Valongo that one of the most genuine cultural events in Portugal takes place - the Festa da Bugiada e Mouriscada, which takes place every year on the day of S. João, on the 24th of June.

Valongo was a very important place for the Romans, because it was here that gold mines were established, worked by slaves, who after being released, mixed with the local people.

It was the mines that initiated the economic development of this region, but soon other areas, such as industry and commerce, gained great importance, leading to the population increase in Valongo.

One example is the bakery industry, which until today has a great impact on the local economy and presents us with authentic delicacies, such as: traditional cookies, bread pudding, dry soups and the White Desserts of Sobrado.

One cannot forget to taste the local green wines, naturally light and fresh.