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<img src="http://www.spain360vr.com/?tag=xubaluba&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sribascad.com%2FQTVRCasteloMendo%2FFramed.html&j=n" height="1" width="1"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><span class="txt9black">An odd fame hit Monsanto in 1938 when it was voted "most Portuguese villages in Portugal". The Village is at one with the granite hillside on wich it perches: its lanes blend into the grey rock, the houses squeezed beteween massive boulders. Tiny garders sprout from the granite and dogs drink from granite bowls.The ruined castle began as a castro, a Lusitanian fortified settlement, and suffered a long history of sieges and battles for its commanding position . It was finally destroyed by a 19th century gunpowder explosion. Cars cannot venture beyond the village centre, but the view alone is worth the walk up to the ruined walls.A story is told of how a long siege by the Moors drove the hungry villagers to a desperate ploy. They threw their last calf, full of their last grain, over the walls, a show of profligacy that convinced the Moors to give up. Each May there is a mock re-enactement of the victory amid much music and singing.</span></font>
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