PR2 - Percurso do Freixo

The PR2 - Freixo Trail is a circular trail of approximately 5.2 km, set in the surroundings of the village of Freixo. The route links the rural centre to nearby fields and country estates, crossing a landscape marked by cereal fields, montado, eucalyptus woodland, old rural buildings and features associated with the traditional use of water.

In the Monte dos Gaios area, the trail approaches a rural group of whitewashed single-storey houses, the Casa Grande da Herdade, a well and a washhouse. Further ahead, the passage beside the Freixo stream reveals a damper and shadier environment, with small patches of riparian vegetation dominated by ash trees, poplars and willows.

The stream also provides an area of interest for local fauna, where species such as nightingale, wren and Sardinian warbler may occur, as well as mammals including hedgehog and hare, and reptiles and amphibians such as the Spanish pond turtle and the Mediterranean tree frog.

The route also passes through Monte da Igreja, where the Church of Nossa Senhora do Freixo stands, known since the 16th century and marked by features of traditional Alentejo religious architecture. A marble wayside cross can also be found nearby, in an area associated with the presence of nocturnal birds of prey.

At Quinta da Vidigueira, highlights include the architecture of the country estate, a well, a waterwheel and an aqueduct that supplied water to the vegetable garden. Within the property walls stands the Anta da Quinta da Vidigueira, a megalithic monument classified as a National Monument in 1910.