Guimaraes - Largo da Oliveira 
The impressive Largo da Oliveira, in the heart of the old town, has been particularly successful in managing to retain its medieval aspect.
The story goes that the square, and the church, Nossa Senhora da Oliveira, owe their name "Oliveira" means olive tree to Wamba the Visigoth. Called on to be King, Wamba refused to accept unless a dry olive twig stuck in the sand put forth green shoots again. No sooner was the twig in the ground, presumably where the Gothic/Manueline canopy now stands, than it began to turn green.
The story goes that the square, and the church, Nossa Senhora da Oliveira, owe their name "Oliveira" means olive tree to Wamba the Visigoth. Called on to be King, Wamba refused to accept unless a dry olive twig stuck in the sand put forth green shoots again. No sooner was the twig in the ground, presumably where the Gothic/Manueline canopy now stands, than it began to turn green.
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Alpendre
In the center of the Largo da Oliveira is the Gothic/Manueline alpendre (a canopy sheltering a crucifix) erected to commemorate victory in the battle on the Rio Salado in 1340, when the allied Portuguese and Spanish forces defeated the troops of the Sultan of Morocco.
Paço do Concelho
The old town hall, the Paço do Concelho, on the north side of the Largo da Oliveira contains the town archives. With its Gothic arcades, it was begun in the 14th C., during the reign of Joao I, and radically altered in the 17th C. The adjoining building contains a luxurious pousada.
