One river, followed from its source in the granite highlands, through xisto and university stone at Coimbra, out to the limestone coastal belt and the ocean at Figueira da Foz. The ground changes as you move along it — and so does what gets built on it.
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Materials by Region
Granite — North·Xisto — Central East·Limestone — Central West·Adobe — South
01
Serra da Estrela
The river's source in Portugal's highest mainland range — granite country, the origin point of the whole material story.
02
Piódão & the Schist Villages
Slate-roofed, schist-walled villages built directly from the mountain they sit on — the clearest example of xisto vernacular anywhere on the line.
03
Coimbra
Where the ground itself changes — xisto gives way to limestone here, and the university has anchored the city since 1290.
04
Montemor-o-Velho
A medieval castle overlooking the Mondego's flood plain, marking the river's shift from valley to open lowland.
05
Figueira da Foz
Where the Mondego meets the Atlantic — the end of the line, and the coastal limestone belt Laroux currently builds within.