Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios

Baroque sanctuary at the top of a 686-step monumental staircase above Lamego.

The Santuário de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios sits on the wooded hill above Lamego and is reached either by a narrow road or by the long ceremonial staircase that cascades down the slope. The church at the top is 18th-century Baroque, with twin towers and a tile-clad facade, but it is the staircase that is the real monument — designed to climb slowly, with each landing a stage in the pilgrim's progress.

Festival season (the first week of September) is the moment to come if you can stand the crowds, when the surrounding hill becomes a kind of pop-up village. The rest of the year it is quiet, and the view from the church terrace across Lamego and the Douro escarpment is one of the best in the region.

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The staircase has 686 steps arranged in nine landings, decorated with fountains, statues and azulejo panels — the design echoes the better-known Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga, but with a more austere feel. During the September pilgrimage some devotees climb the entire stairway on their knees, and the festival closes with a battle of flowers and a horseback procession.