Camino Portugues

→ 5.80 → São João da Madeira → 1.40km → Arrifana

Location
To end of camino
274.4
Altitude
230
Services
ATM
Yes
Bar
Yes
Grocery
Yes
Medical Center
Yes
Pharmacy
Yes
Public Pool
Yes
Train
Yes

As with most large towns, the arrows and shells get a bit lost in all of the visual distractions.

The main square (the Praça Luís Ribeiro) is not a square at all but rather a large roundabout re-purposed for pedestrians. It is recognizable for the large column sculpture in the center; a monument celebrating the industry of São João.

The best museum in town and the only one of its kind on the Iberian peninsula is the Museu da Chapelaria (Hat Making Museum). It is on the way out of town, is quite poorly advertised and looks closed to the casual passerby. It is not, and you would be mad to miss it.

History

São João da Madeira’s growth at the end of the 19th century was the result of a single industrial effort, that of making hats. They were first made with felt, and later fur, and when hat wearing fell out of fashion the workers shifted to making shoes. It is now considered the capital of shoes.

The Road

Leave town from the Praça Luís Ribeiro along the Rua Antonio Jose de Oliveira Junior.

It is more suburban walking from here to Arrifana.