The municipality of Amares presents several vestiges of Roman culture, with emphasis on the route of Geira – Via Nova. This road, built in the 1st century AD, connected Braga (Bracara Augusta) to Astorga (Asturica Augusta) and facilitated access to the mountainous regions.
In Amares we can travel part of this road, starting the route in the parish of Paredes Secas until the parish of Seramil, and then continuing its route through the municipality of Terras de Bouro.
GEIRA – VIA NOVA symbolized the success of the Romanization of the Northwest, facilitating the movement of people, merchants, military personnel and employees between the two capitals. In certain places we can still see the marks of car tires, the quarries where granite was extracted for the milestones, paved sidewalks and ruined bridges.
Although this route is not classified in its entirety, in the territory of Amares we find some milestones that are classified, such as the milestone (fragment) that is located in the parish of Vilela, next to the Parish Church (MN – National Monument, Decree 16-06-1910, DG nº 136 of 23 June 1910).
Start and Finish: Braga – Portela do Homem
Promoting Entity: Various
Scope: Historical-cultural, environmental and landscape
Route Type: Rural paths
Distance to travel: 45.44 km
Difficulty Level: Hard
Recommended Season: All year round
Location: between the parishes of Paredes Secas and Seramil
GPS: GPS 41º39`39.25″N 8º20`11.40″W and Santa Cruz (Seramil) GPS 41º40`46.80″N 8º19`35.63″W