Wednesday 30 December 2020

MESÃO FRIO (PORTUGAL)

 


MESÃO FRIO
GPS N 41.16106; W 7.88699

Mesão Frio is a Portuguese village belonging to the district of Vila Real, the North Region, the sub-region of the Douro and the former province of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, known as the Porta do the Douro, due to being placed in its territory the first Pombaline landmarks of the oldest wine region in the world - The Douro Demarcated Region - and also, because it is the municipality that is located on the last limit of this region.

It is the seat of a very small municipality (the 8th smallest in Portugal), with an area of ​​26.65 km² and 4 433 inhabitants (2011), subdivided into 5 parishes.
It is limited to the west by Baião, to the north and east by Peso da Régua, and to the south, already on the left bank of the Douro, by Lamego and Resende.
In Mesão Frio the landscapes are true tourist attractions to contemplate, through the Monte de São Silvestre viewpoints, Lugar does Imaginário and Lugar de Donsumil. With a splendid landscape over the Douro, in addition to the various churches scattered throughout the parishes of the municipality, the Franciscan Convent of Varatojo (18th century), which currently serves as the City Hall building, is also one of the monuments of reference.
Mesão Frio, is located 85 kilometers from Porto, 39 kilometers from Vila Real (the district capital), and 12 kilometers from Peso da Régua (its closest neighbor). It is limited in the north and east by the municipality of Peso da Régua, south by Resende and Lamego (along their Douro River frontier), and in the west by the municipality of Baião, in the district of Porto.
Climate
Located in the southern flank of the Serra do Marão and on the right margin of the Douro, the region is marked by distinct climatic regions. The northern zone, owing to the mountainous Serra do Marão, has a climate characteristic of the (TRANSMONTAN COLD LANDS) Terras Frias Transmontanas: temperatures are relatively low (annual means between 10 °C and 12.5 °C) and exposed to colder winds and precipitation (annually in excess of 1600 millimeters). The southeastern zone, with minor humidity and reduced altitudes, has less precipitation. The localities here are between 400 and 700 meters in altitude (such as Vila Marim and Brunhais), and although the winters continue to be cold, they are less severe, and the summers are shorter and warmer (with temperatures between 12.5 °C and 14 °C). In the valleys of the Douro, Teixeira, and Sermenha (areas of 400 meters and less in altitude) the temperatures and climate are almost Mediterranean. These areas have annual temperatures of 14 °C and the area commonly referred to as part of the (TRANSMONTANE HOT LANDS) Terras Quentes Transmontanas.







FLUVIAL BEACH OF MESÃO FRIO