Cadaval

In the orchard country of the Oeste, the long ridge of the Serra de Montejunto rises above the town of Cadaval, and on its crest stand two of the strangest monuments of the Lisbon district: the ruins of a medieval Dominican convent and the workings of a royal ice factory that once cooled the capital’s cafés. Between the ridge and the plain, the municipality lives from pears, wine and sheep.

The mountain that made ice for Lisbon

In the eighteenth century the Dominican monks exploited the mountain’s cold, damp conditions at the Real Fábrica do Gelo, building great tanks linked by narrow passages in which water froze and was stored; the ice travelled down to Lisbon for the royal court and the famous café in the Terreiro do Paço. The ruins, classified as a national monument, stand beside the chapel of Nossa Senhora das Neves and the abandoned convent, and visits are arranged by appointment. Windmills line the summit ridge, where the views run from the Atlantic to the Tagus.

Orchards, wine and old roads

Below the mountain the valleys fill with orchards — the Rocha pear above all — and with vineyards whose family estates welcome tasters. The town keeps its matrix church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, and the old roads run west towards Torres Vedras and the pear town of Bombarral just over the hill.

What to see

• The Real Fábrica do Gelo on the Serra de Montejunto
• The chapel of Nossa Senhora das Neves and the convent ruins
• The windmills and viewpoints of the summit ridge
• The Rocha pear orchards and organic wine estates
• The matrix church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição

Practical information

Cadaval lies in the Lisbon district, in the Oeste region, on the roads between Caldas da Rainha and Alenquer. The ridge road is exposed in bad weather and the ice factory opens only by appointment: bring a windproof layer, plan the visit ahead, and check the official websites before setting out.

Image credit: Serra de montejunto by Blackmirror — public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.