At this event we will walk in an area where the traces of rurality are one of the greatest evidences of the entire Gradil area, where our walk begins, near the Parish Council. Our route will pass through Vila Franca do Rosário and its Mother Church, with its wide views, and will continue along green paths, heading towards Vale da Guarda and then towards the Iberian Wolf Recovery Centre. From there to Picão and the fertile farmland just outside the village of Gradil. Another event not to be missed!

Gradil Church:

Consecrated to St Sylvester, it has a single nave. Its walls are decorated with 17th century carpet tiles and it has two pink stone pulpits attached. The baptismal font dates from the 16th century, as does the holy water font. It has an image of the Child Jesus on one of the altars, around which there is a curious legend about its destruction during the 1755 earthquake and subsequent reconstruction.

The Iberian Wolf Recovery Centre:

The Iberian Wolf Recovery Centre (CRLI) was set up by the Lobo Group in 1987 with the aim of providing a suitable captive environment for wolves that cannot live in the wild: animals that have been trapped, illegally captive or from other parks and zoos.

The CRLI occupies 18 hectares of land in a wooded and secluded valley. It is located in the parish of Gradil, in the municipality of Mafra, about 30 kilometres north of Lisbon. The nearest villages (about 1.5 kilometres away) are Picão and Vale Guarda.

The welfare of the wolves is one of the main concerns, so the activities carried out are based on the philosophy of a sanctuary, giving the animals conditions similar to those in their own country. habitat and reducing human disturbance. The Centre runs a scientific-pedagogical programme that enables scientific studies and educational activities to inform the public about the wolf's bio-ecology and behaviour, the dangers it faces and the importance of its conservation.

Observing wolves in a semi-natural environment provides unique and ideal opportunities for environmental awareness-raising activities related to the conservation of this predator and biodiversity in general.

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- Walk in the west - Gradil - Iberian Wolf Recovery Centre - Vale da Guarda - Vila Franca do Rosário - Church of S. Silvestre do Gradil - Mother Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário - Natural landscapes -