In 1991 a young archaeologist named Nelson Rebanda saw something strange on the walls of the Côa valley, a series of animals scratched into the schist cliffs, and the world of prehistory changed. Over the next few years more than a thousand engravings were recorded along the river, of aurochs, horses, ibex and deer, some of them more than twenty thousand years old, making this the largest open-air collection of Palaeolithic art in the world. The images had been under the open sky all that time, with the river flowing past.
The find came at an awkward moment. A dam was being built downstream by the national electricity company, which would have drowned the engravings under the water. Archaeologists, students and the public protested, a long argument followed, and in 1995 the new government cancelled the dam. UNESCO listed the Côa Valley rock art in 1998, and a striking museum, a long, low concrete building set into the hillside above the meeting of the Côa and Douro rivers, opened in 2010. It is the starting point for the guided visits, which are the only way to see the engravings.
Vila Nova de Foz Côa itself is a quiet town of about seven thousand people in the Douro region, a place of white houses, granite and almond trees. In February, the almond blossom covers the hills in white and pink, and the town holds a festival to celebrate. The surrounding countryside produces port and table wine, olive oil and almonds, and the local restaurants serve roast kid, smoked sausages and strong red wine.
For riders the N222, known as one of the most beautiful roads in Portugal, runs close by, winding along the river between terraced vineyards. The bends are many, the surface is mostly good, and the views of the river and the schist hills are glorious. Summer brings intense heat, with temperatures above forty degrees, and many cyclists use the roads in spring and autumn. The harvest in September means tractors and trucks on the narrow roads.
Fuel and services are no problem in Foz Côa, with stations, cafes and a market, and Torre de Moncorvo is the nearest larger town. Book the guided visit in advance, especially in summer, since numbers are limited.
Come in spring or autumn, and go early in the day for the best light and the least heat.