São João da Madeira
Camino Portugues
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.
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.
Leave town from the Praça Luís Ribeiro along the Rua Antonio Jose de Oliveira Junior.
It is more suburban walking from here to Arrifana.
Accommodation in São João da Madeira
| Santa Casa da Misericórdia Donativo€ 12 |
| AHBV (Zona Industrial) São João da Madeira Donativo€ 70 |
| Solar São João |
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