Imagine waking up on a farm in Trás-os-Montes without an alarm clock. The light streams in through the soft, golden stone window. Outside, the silence is so complete you can hear the wind rustling through the olive trees.

There is a region in the far north of Portugal where olive oil has a different history, a different rhythm, and a different scale. And that is precisely what makes it different.

Few people know, but Lebução was once the seat of a municipality. When the Castle of Monforte de Rio Livre, the fortress that defended these lands against Castile for centuries, became depopulated at the beginning of the 19th century, the administration was transferred to Lebução. In 1836, the town formally became the capital of the municipality of Monforte de Rio Livre — and remained so until 1853, when the municipality was dissolved and the territory integrated into Valpaço

The Montesinho Natural Park will receive €6.1 million for 13 sustainable tourism projects, hiking trails, wildlife conservation, and interpretive centers. Find out what will change and why it's worth planning your visit now.