Situated on the left bank of the river Douro, Espadanedo sandy river bank is an excellent leisure place, we can still observe on its banks traces of a wild river Douro, before the rising waters caused by the construction of dams. Here you can see part of some rocky outcrops that once dominated the banks of the Douro. This is also a place with lots of history since, in the past, this was a stopping point for rabelo boats. Here they docked and carried many products produced by the people of the Douro, to supply the Oporto markets. This was a very long time, the only direct transport route to Oporto city.
The Espadanedo sandy river bank is part of a fantastic landscape. Here flows the Espadanedo stream, wrapped in forests, and with high biodiversity. Cork oaks, pedunculated oaks, common hawthorns and lote trees, make up the slopes. Along the Douro can still also see willows, black alders and a diverse herbaceous flora like columbine or the beautiful purple loosestrife typical of riparian zones. The fauna also abounds on these slopes of the Douro: the common toad, the marbled newt or the fire salamander are some of the amphibians that roam around here and, in the case of invertebrates, one can find, the emperor dragonfly, the marsh fritillary butterfly, or the stag beetle.
In Tarouquela village we can find the Romanesque church of Santa Maria Maior. This church was built as part of one of the first female Benedictine monasteries south of the Douro, created in the mid-twelfth century ending later in the sixteenth century. Stands out in this church the various sculptures present, demonstrating the high symbolism of this site.
