Castelo Rodrigo is a place of tremendous pastoral beauty, a medieval village, thick stonewall houses perfectly integrated in the environment and surrounded by verdant nature and hills. It is on the rustic side, of course, but a stay here does not necessarily mean rustic or basic conditions.

Take the boutique house, Casa da Cisterna, for example. The old “cistern” that served as a water tank for the village, hence the name, plus a neighbouring house were joined together and turned into an extremely well decorated nine room accommodation. It is run by a charming couple, Ana and António, who left Lisbon after they fell in love with the many peaceful charms this area has got to offer. With the Casa da Cisterna, you have history and modernity in one fell swoop, where rustic charms mix with a pretty sophisticated set up inside.

The whole area is relatively unknown to foreign tourists, who tend to head for the metropolises or further south to sunnier climes. And that’s a shame for the discerning traveller. Bypassing this area, and the Casa da Cisterna, will mean missing out on a lot of things.

In this instance, beautiful views of the medieval village itself, a pure environment and numerous activities that include trekking (the area is great for nice brisk walks), cycling, picnic areas, jeep and even donkey rides.