View of A Guarda from high ground. A Guarda, Pontevedra © Turespaña
Looking out over the Atlantic and flanked by the river Miño and the mountain of Santa Tecla, the village of A Guarda is famous for its lobsters.
Maritime, river and mountainous scenery plays host to one of the most traditional fishing villages in Galicia, on the border with Portugal. Because of its location, A Guarda was conquered by the Vandals, Norman and Saracen pirates, the Portuguese and the French. Among the historic buildings are the Benedictine monastery (1558), the parish church erected on the site of an old 10th-century temple and the ancestral homes of the Correa and Somoza families. Its economic activity ranges from small-scale farming to breeding rabbits and free-range chickens. Fishing has played a major role for centuries, and although most of the boats work in deep-sea fishing, there are also some devoted to shallow waters.
Thanks to the mountain of Santa Tecla the service sector is on the rise. Its walled town, declared to be Historic-Artistic Heritage, is one of the most significant examples of Galician hill-fort culture. Also on the mountain are the hermitage of La Santa and a monument of the way of the cross. The town's major pilgrimages and festivals are under here.
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