Barcelos

The galo de Barcelos - the black rooster with a red comb and painted hearts - is the closest thing Portugal has to a national souvenir, and it comes from here. The legend: a Galician pilgrim on the way to Santiago was accused of theft and condemned to hang; brought before the judge at dinner, he declared that the roast cockerel on the table would crow to prove his innocence, and it did. The Cruzeiro do Senhor do Galo, a fourteenth-century stone cross carved with the scene, stands in the ruined Paço dos Condes, the roofless fifteenth-century palace above the Cávado that now serves as an open-air archaeological museum. The town's other draw is the Thursday market, one of the largest in Portugal, filling the Campo da República with produce, livestock goods, clothing, and the pottery for which Barcelos is known - including the figures of Rosa Ramalho and the school she founded.

History

Afonso I granted Barcelos a charter between 1156 and 1169, and the town grew as a stop for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela; in 1298 King Denis created the title of Count of Barcelos. Count Pedro Afonso built the Gothic bridge over the Cávado in 1325-1328, Afonso, the first Duke of Bragança, built the Palace of the Counts soon after his marriage in 1401, and the town was walled in 1425 (Wikipedia, Barcelos, Portugal).

What's there

• The rooster legend - the fourteenth-century carved cross in the ruined palace.
• The Thursday market - one of Portugal's largest, filling the main square.
• The pottery - Barcelos figures, including the Rosa Ramalho tradition.
• The Paço dos Condes - a roofless fifteenth-century palace as an open-air museum.

When to go

Thursday for the market, which is the reason to time a visit. April to October otherwise. Half a day.

Things to know

Outside Thursday the town is quiet and much of what makes it worth visiting is absent. Most roosters sold anywhere in Portugal are mass-produced elsewhere - the real Barcelos figures are a different thing and cost more. Market crowds are dense.

Nearby

Braga is east; Viana do Castelo and the coast are north-west.

Key facts