ORTIGA
ROTAS DE MAÇÃO - VILLAGES PROJECT
The historical ancestors of Ortiga are similar in all respects to the rest of the Mação Council.
The parish since 21-3-1928 is an area rich in historical periods such as the Roman one where the archaeological station of the Junco Valley stands out. Even before this construction we can find a tapir in excellent state of conservation which is located at the mouth of the Rio Frio. However, not only of historical and artistic heritage lives Ortiga, where we can enjoy all the natural beauty of the vast pine forests and the reservoir of the Ortiga Dam (River Tagus) where throughout the year are practiced several water sports and enjoy the superb landscape offered.
The existence of the Ortiga Museum should be noted.
Historically the name Ortiga may start with the passage in this region of the Saracens that settled here and applied a toponym derived from the Greek (Ortygus). Ortigo in our language is a word of Greek origin used to translate the idea of quail (e.g. Ortigopia - game practiced in ancient Athens, consisted of slaughtering quail by hand). The name Ortiga was born due to the abundance of quail in these fields. Ortigana "land of quail" emerges from the Greek Ortygus in Arabic, which in turn loses the final syllable with the first Christian settlers.
Locations
Dam, Station, Ortiga
Local walking trail: PR4 Mac Rota Ortiga Sul
Where to eat: Restaurante O BIGODES
Where to stay: CASA DA GALINHOLA
Geographic Coordinates (Google maps): 39.484317,-8.0205