Located 30km north-east of Porto, in the heart of the picturesque Minho countryside dotted with sloping vines and wooded hilltops, Santo Tirso is the hub of a large textile industry that covers much of this part of northern Portugal. What to see:The town is main feature is the São Bento monastery building which was originally founded by Benedictine monks in the 8th century. It was later rebuilt and subsequently modified in the 17th century. The pairs of columns in the 14th century Gothic cloister are notable for their richly carved capitals. The building also houses the Abade Pedrosa Museum with its vast collection of local archaeological artefacts including ancient stone axes, bronze armlets and ceramics Nearby: Perching above the Vizela valley at Roriz (13km east of Santo Tirso) stands the impressive Romanesque church of São Pedro, which although dated 1228 is thought to have been built on the site of an 8th century church. 5km further east lies the hilltop site of an Iron Age citadel known locally as the Citânia de Sanfins de Ferreira. Built around the 6th century BC, the site includes some 100 huts surrounded by the remains of a triple ring of defensive walls.
