Hi friends,

It's been a while since I've dropped by the #pinmapple community and I do it to share with you a virtual visit to the town of Monforte de Lemos in Lugo taking advantage of some pictures I had from a visit last year and some new pictures taken recently during a walk I took around the town after visiting some clients I have in this beautiful Galician town.

Monforte de Lemos is a town located in the heart of Galicia, in what is called La Ribera Sacra and with the purpose of this post to give you an idea of what we can find, this urban art mural is very representative.

The Villa

As you can see in a part of the urban art mural we can see a castle, a big convent or basilica, green areas and a kind of river.

So these are the 4 main points of interest of the urban centre of Monforte de Lemos and I will show you some pictures of the places and a bit of their history.

College of Nuestra Señora de La Antigua

This building in the centre of the city is one of the most important places in the town and reminded me a lot of the monastery of El Escorial in Madrid. In fact, this school/convent is popularly known as the Galician Escorial.

Outside the school there is a large square and beautifully landscaped gardens with a multitude of flowering hedges regardless of the time of year.

Although its front view might appear to be an institutional building, it is a complex of buildings with a religious order, as the complex includes a church inside, as can be seen in this side shot taken from the nearby Park of the Counts.

Park of the Counts and the river Cabe

The park of the Counts is one of my favourite green areas in Monforte de Lemos with a beautiful pond.

In fact, it is a nice place to take pictures where the nearby buildings and the vegetation of the park are reflected when the fountain stops pouring water.

On cloudy days, as on my last visit, watching the various ducks and swans, swimming under the bridge near the pond is a very relaxing activity.

A few metres away from the pond and at the end of the park, the water of the pond flows into the Cabe river jetty, which on cloudy days provides a breathtaking view with the reflection of all the buildings and trees on the water.

Old Bridge

Taking advantage of the fact that there are some paths along the river, my recommendation is to take a walk along the river bank to observe more curious reflections and also to visit the waterfowl.

But with caution, as there are geese and as territorial birds you have to be careful not to anger them so you don't have to run away from them.

The area I liked the most on my trip along the river bank was when I reached the old bridge.

Here a large number of brown ducks were resting on the green bank.

Tower and Monastery

In the highest part of Monforte de Lemos we find a walled area with a tower and a large monastery.

The Homage Tower

It is a 30-metre high medieval tower dating from the 13th-14th century that suffered a lot of damage during the different battles suffered at that time. It has now been completely restored and refurbished.

Monasteries of San Vicente del Pino

Located next to the Torre del Homenaje, its origin is not known with certainty, although it could date back to the 9th century.

To get to this area I recommend you to travel by car from the city centre, as there are steep slopes to climb to get there and I promise from this post next time to visit the Tower and the Monastery to share it with all of you.

The Ribera Sacra, Sil Canyons and Vineyards

To understand 100% the mural I showed you at the beginning of the post in which there was a woman with a basket of grapes in the middle of the grape harvest, I am going to take you about 5 kilometres out of the city.

I have brought you to the heart of the Ribera Sacra and specifically to an area of canyons through which the river Sil flows.

It is a very quiet area, not very busy and that I love to visit when I go to Monforte de Lemos.

At the same time, it is an area where one can see the terraces of vineyards along the canyon slope, making this type of grape harvest a truly risky sport.

This harvest takes place in the months of August and September, usually of white grapes, to produce one of the most coveted Spanish wines with denomination of origin Ribera Sacra.

It is an excellent wine to accompany both fish and seafood very typical of Galicia.

I hope you have enjoyed this little corner of Galicia which is well worth a visit and a stroll.

Best regards.

Own photos taken with my iPhone SE and iPhone 13 in September 2022 and September 2023.

Cover, separators and banner created with www.canva.com (free version).

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version).