Car Hire Torres Novas

Torres Novas is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 270 square km and a total population of 37.155 inhabitants. The municipality is composed of 17 parishes and is located in the district of Santarem. The city of Torres Novas has about 15.000 inhabitants. Little is known about the history of Torres Novas prior to the conquest of the city from the Arabs in 1148 by Don Alfonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal. The Torres Novas castle, which had fallen into ruin, was rebuilt in 1190 by Sancho I. The castle was further rebuilt by Ferdinand I in 1376, thus it grew directly around the castle.

Top Attractions Within Torres Novas

Roman Ruins of Villa Cardillio is an archaeological site located in central Portugal, situated in the rural civil parish of Santa Maria, near Torres Novas. The first construction of this villa occurred in the first century, of which only remains the primitive atrium and the remains of the thermal baths. In 1930, the site served as a mine, whose property owner removed 360 cartloads of rock from the site.The site is very interesting to visit, since it provides an insight on the past of Torres Novas.

Torres Novas Castle is a mixture of architecture which thanks to town planners has merged well together. The castle was rebuilt in the 12th century, with further expansion and rebuilding two centuries later with the town growing up in and around it. At the foot of the castle, there is a wide range of cafes and restaurants offering al fresco dining.

Torres Novas Old Town. The historic centre of Torres Novas is a maze of narrow streets flanked by traditional tiled fronted houses and shops and was originally surrounded by the castle walls. However, these were demolished in the 19th century as the conurbation expanded. In this part of town, there are also parks aplenty with aged trees providing much needed shade during the summer to those who promenade the well tended gardens and paths.