According to the Portuguese Language Dictionary, a “marialva” is a seducer, conqueror of women, a “Don Juan.” But the Historical Village with the same name, located in the municipality of Guarda, a few minutes from the city of Mêda, has an even more romantic story at the origin of its toponymy…

Amid the alleyways of that dazzling village of the Beira Alta region, they say that a really beautiful damsel lived there a long time ago. One particular day, a nobleman who was passing by fell in love with her. Hoping to ask for her hand in marriage, he decided to order some shoes from a shoemaker to offer to the damsel. Since it was a surprise and the shoemaker had no way of knowing the size of her feet, he asked the nobleman to dust flour along the foot of the damsel’s bed so that she would leave tracks when she got up.

Imagine the shoemaker’s shock when he discovered that the damsel had “goat hooves,” judging by the form left behind on the floor – but being the professional that he was, he completed the order without any comment, keeping the secret from the client. When the nobleman delivered the present to the damsel, he realized that everyone had discovered her secret…Terrified, he threw himself from the keep of the castle. The damsel’s name was Maria Alva.

In reality, the origin of this village’s name dates back to the Arab occupation. Upon arriving at that imposing hillfort where so many peoples, such as the Turduli in 6th century A.D., Romans, and Goths, had passed through, they decided to call it Malva. It became Marialva when D. Fernando Magno de Leão regained the hillfort in 1063 and baptized it. But whoever knows the romantic nooks of Marialva, from the Anjo da Guarda Gate to the Castle, believes that fantastic stories about damsels with “goat hooves” and enamored knights could have taken place there…

Located at the top of an almost untouched, deserted rocky mountain, Marialva is a charming village. The Castle, where the keep from the Maria Alva legend still remains, seems to be enshrined in a dreamy aura of History, taking us through time to the deepest roots of our country. The streets, lined by buildings that are more stubborn than time, show us that Portugal is made up of an unbreakable magic, no matter what happens…

In order to better contemplate the beauty of Marialva, it is worth going up to the belvedere of the Santa Bárbara Chapel, a temple with a square floor plan and a gate with a triumphal arch. From here, we observe all the splendor of Devesa (the low part of the village) and the enveloping panorama to the South – incredible mountains and valleys that set the landscapes of the Beira Alta region apart.

In Marialva, we dream, fall in love, and discover the value of places where, protected from the hustle and bustle of cities and technologies, we can finally breathe…