Benquerença

Benquerença is a small inland village in the municipality of Penamacor, about 17 km west of the municipal seat, set between the Serra de Santa Marta and the Serra da Opa on the left bank of the Ribeira da Meimoa. Its economy has long been linked to agriculture, olive growing, forestry, livestock, sawmilling and small local trade. Historically, the settlement developed between the 14th and early 17th centuries through the joining of several older hamlets and farmsteads, including Santa Maria da Quebrada, Forte Guilherme, Simão and Boa Rapariga. Today it is known for its quiet Beira Baixa landscape and for the riverside leisure area and fluvial beach at O Moinho.