Torres Novas is best known for its eleventh crenellated hill-top castle, enclosed in flower-filled gardens. This is also a good place for sports - the municipal swimming pool and tennis courts, visit the beautiful new “roses garden” along the river and to dine in its quiet but friendly restaurants. The Roman Ruins of Villa Cardílio (2km) dated from the 14th century A.D. still preserve wonderful coloured mosaics. Casa dos Vargos is situated on the edge of the reserve of the Serra de Aire and Candeeiros Natural Park. This protected area has some wonderful deep underground rivers, lakes and caves which are open to the public – Mira de Aire. On the western flanks of the Serra de Aire lies Fátima, an important Roman Catholic pilgrimage site where in 1917, the Virgin Mary was reputed to have made her first appearance to their children. In the late 1920s, a neoclassical basilica, dedicated to the Virgin, was built on the site of one of the apparitions.

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