Monsanto Castle
Monsanto, Idanha-a-Nova 6060 - Portugal
Phone: +351 277 914 280
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The ruined Monsanto Castle started as a Lusitanian fortified settlement and, it is said, resisted Roman siege for seven years in the 2nd century BC. This feat is celebrated each year with the Festival of the Crosses. The castle was destroyed in the 19th century by a gunpowder explosion and only the 14th century Torre de Lucano and a mediaeval watchtower, the Torre do Pião, remain. A traditional story is that during a siege by the Moors, the desperate villagers threw their last calf, fed with their last grain, over the walls and convinced the Moors the siege had failed.
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