PR21Olive Oil Route

The olive oil culture

This route unfolds at the pace of olive oil. It is not a countryside trail with a village at the end, but a circuit around Agrochão that brings together the olive press, the sanctuary and the olive groves in a single walk of under six kilometres — easy and unhurried. Here, unlike the northern part of the municipality, the landscape is not one of chestnut groves: it is the olive grove that dominates the parish and defines its character.

Agrochão has medieval origins, mentioned in the Inquirições of 1258 and granted a royal charter by D. Dinis in 1288, and it has more museums than many a town: the Museu do Azeite e Lagar Antigo, the Museu Etnográfico e Rural and the Museu de Arte Sacra.

Agrochão

The route is circular, beginning and ending in Agrochão, beside the Igreja Paroquial de São Mamede, with a café and a fountain nearby. The trail passes through the heart of the village along the Rua Direita, between well-kept traditional houses, and goes past the imposing Palacete da Família Sá Morais, once a prominent presence in the agricultural and cultural life of the region.

The Museu do Azeite e Lagar Antigo

This is where the process becomes clear — from olive to oil — before seeing it play out in the fields. It is located in the village, along the way, alongside the Museu Etnográfico e Rural and the Museu de Arte Sacra, next to the church.

The Santuário do Divino Senhor da Piedade

The sanctuary is the highest point of the route, at around 710 metres, and offers a panoramic view over the village and the olive groves. It lies approximately two kilometres from the centre, at the far end of the section that heads out into the fields.

The olive groves

Between the sanctuary and the village, the olive groves of Agrochão are traversed along well-maintained agricultural tracks, with no difficulty, the lowest point of the circuit sitting at around 590 metres. It is a route that combines walking, culture and gastronomy in a single day. Those wishing to continue through the southern part of the municipality will find the PR19 · Soutos de Celas, another gentle circuit where the olive grove gives way to the chestnut tree.