The heart of the centre of Portugal is called the Beirão Plateau and is surrounded by mountains with names almost lost in time, such as Caramulo, which comes from the Celtic word kar, mount. It offers a magnificent horizon to one of Portugal’s most surprising villages, Santar, an hour north-east of Coimbra. On practically every street, there’s an aristocratic house, some built in the 17th century. It’s only 13 square kilometres and has a thousand inhabitants, but the wealth of heritage and the beauty of the place are impressive. It would be foolish to visit the country and not discover the riches of Santar, bathed by the Dão river, which gives its name to one of Portugal’s most wonderful wine regions.

Santar is a very old land, dating back to before the nation was founded in 1143. This remote origin has led to some of Portugal’s noblest families being concentrated here: Cunhas, Pais do Amaral, Melos, Bragança and others. They are much more than just names in the country’s blue blood system. This name dropping means influence on history and culture. Today the houses of these families shine in the town. A few years ago, they joined forces in the Santar Garden-Town project.

“Santar has the unique feature of being crossed by continuous garden terraces,” explains the man who launched the idea, José Luís de Vasconcellos e Sousa. “They overlook vineyard gardens that strongly emphasise the character of the place.” Renowned Spanish landscape architect Fernando Caruncho brought unity to everything, and the success was proven in 2021 when Santar was given the European Garden Award in the category of Protection and Development of a Cultural Landscape. All this results in an aristocratic green beauty, open to the public.

One of these gardens is the Fidalgas Manor, now home to the Valverde Santar Hotel & Spa, which until recently was the residence of Miguel de Bragança, Duke of Viseu and brother of Duarte Pio, Duke of Bragança and current heir to the Portuguese crown. It’s a 5-star boutique hotel – and by “boutique” we mean a high level of privacy and attention to guests. There are only 21 rooms and suites.

This is an intimate palace with four hectares of vineyards and three hectares of garden. The boxwoods that shape it are a fascinating labyrinth by the pool. The wellness centre has tailor-made programmes ranging from cooking workshops to visits to Santar Garden-Town, sports sessions with a personal trainer, horse riding and cycling, a croquet court and picnics. Gastronomy is one of the highlights: the comforting cuisine of the Beiras region shines here.

Even if one doesn’t spend the night at the Valverde, one must try a remarkable transformative experience: a guided exploration of all the nooks and crannies of the house’s almost 400-year history, with access to the private chapel which, after a visit to the amazing vineyard – cultivated on undulating terrain – is rounded off with a tasting of the local wine, Dão, accompanied by the sophisticated serra cheese, that is, the cheese from the nearby Estrela Mountains. This is how you combine the aura of the Portuguese Royal House, the beauty of aristocratic gardens and the country’s top nectars.