Between the Douro and the Serra da Estrela pararel, lies a large band. To west, over sedimentary rocks, rolled stones, clay, old schists and granite we can find corn and pine which occupy the majority of the land. As we climb the natural walls of the Montemuro and Caramulo mountains (this last one famous for its water), the rain tends to increase. In the mountains the population is close, since it is difficult to move around in places like Sabugueiro which is a small village on the very peak of a mountain. Throughout the region, varandas and porches show us the beautiful architecture of the Beiras. Thatches cover the roofs in many of these houses.
There are some small rivers to the south that serve villages' needs: river Paiva to Castro Daire, river Vouga to S. Pedro do Sul, river Dão to Santa Comba Dão and river Mondego to Oliveira do Conde. More to the North one can find large valleys of greenland such as forests and thick woods. To the east of this region, near the frontier, we can find river Côa which has brought to Portugal many “internal wars” since ancient cave paintings were found on both banks of the river. The often-watered corn plantations follow the Vouga while rye plantations cover the inland. Near the valley of the river Dão, pine trees dominate the area but as we go east, holm-oak and cork oak trees tend to overlap with the pines. On the mountains we can find chestnut trees not as many as some years ago due to fires that destroy them in Summer.
White wine is limited to the northern part of the region, still near the Douro. It is the more mature wines from Bairrada and river D√£o that mark this area (and our tables!).
