Fodor's Expert Review Casa de Mateus

An exceptional baroque mansion believed to have been designed by Nicolau Nasoni (architect of Porto's dashing Clérigos Tower), the Casa de Mateus sits 4 km (2½ miles) east of Vila Real. Its U-shape facade—with high, decorated finials at each corner—is pictured on the Mateus Rosé wine label (though that is the full extent of the association, as the winemaker is not based here). After your guided tour of the house, you are free to explore the formal gardens, which are enhanced by a "tunnel" of cypress trees that shade the path. A longer version of the tour also takes in the chapel, with its even more extravagant facade, and a temporary exhibition.