Aerial Photos of River Minho Villa near Moncao, Portugal

Below are helicopter aerial photos of this fine, large waterfront villa / quinta in Moncao Portugal, together with some images of the neighborhood. Although it is one of the closest properties you will find to the River Minho but, as the image below indicates, it is in fact well above the floodplain.

These aerial photos were taken in August 2010 after a long, dry spell of weather, so the grounds are a little brown when, for most of the year, they are green. But, as you can see, the plants themselves are well watered. The present owners choose not to irrigate the surface with sprinklers but to use irrigation lines with drip emitters, and to cut the grass, etc. down to nearly earth level during dry spells. In fact there is a fully operational sprinkler system for the riverfront bank area you can see above (which has three sets of steps running down it). The existing bank-side sprinkler system works from water in the lower irrigation tank / pond which is fed by one of the two natural streams and the River Minho itself (the present owners have a legal / licensed river water pump). The upper grounds would really require a well to be bored if you wanted to use sprinklers; the present owners have left space for such a well near the entrance gate and laid a large tube underneath the driveway so you would not need to dig this up to extend any sprinkler system to the upper fruit garden section (located next to the polytunnel greenhouse and garages).

The grounds you see above are all pretty much the property of the present owners, except for the woodland in the top right corner, the owner of which has expressed an interest in selling. You may see a slight reflection from the distinctive Burgundy red brown roof tiles on this River Minho villa; this is because they are glazed to reflect sunlight and prevent water absorption / erosion. The tiles are made by the premier Portuguese tile maker and guaranteed until 2025.

The above photo of this riverfront Moncao villa we have letter referenced. "A" are the main grounds, including the fruit garden to the left and vineyards to the right, which run all the way down to the bank of the River Minho. The upper grounds "B" (see Option 1) are elevated above "A" and so are therefore important to maintain the absolute privacy of this Portuguese quinta. Ground "C" is the additional building land available (see Option 2). If you are looking for some tourism revenue, area B is perfect for adding a couple of log cabins without affecting the villa's main grounds, as they could be positioned to look down over the vineyard through the trees to the River Minho below; there is also space enough for a guest pool. If you wanted to be even more commercial, perhaps 3 or 4 cabins (or two houses) could be located in area A. Area C provides enough space for 4 good sized cabins or even 1 detached or two semi detached properties, again plus pool.

The house "D" is the nearest neighbour; they are obscured by view from the villa by oak and sweet chestnut trees, while a line of cypress trees keep the swimming pool you see and most of the grounds free from external eyes. An L shaped line of recently planted Italian / Mediterranean Cypress trees separate Grounds "A" and "B" from grounds "C" and the next door neighbour's garden "E" (their house is further back out of view). The Italian / Mediterranean Cypress will grow to an incredible 35 meters (115 ft) if you allow them to, or they can be cut as a lower screen. Of course these trees, river conservation law and the protected woodland next door mean that no matter how crowded prosperous Moncao gets, this villa will always be tranquil and private.

Above shows the local neighborhood of Reiriz-Troviscoso, Moncao; this villa's lower eastern boundary wall and its privacy line of cypress trees can just be seen bottom and centre right. As you can see, the area is not too sparsely populated so as to be considered remote. In fact, Reiriz-Troviscoso lies just outside and within easy walking distance of the town of Moncao; it is considered by locals as the most desirable and affluent area of the town. This villa / quinta is by far the finest property in town, though people are not of a jealous disposition here generally, so you have nothing much to worry about.

The above photo shows, just, the nearest neighbour to the West in amongst the woodland, the semi-circular gatehouse entrance (left near the top) can also just be made out, the buildings in the lower left hand area are the white walled irrigation house and rustic brown roofed summer house, both adjacent the pond / irrigation tank. The lovely large cork oak tree in the fenced family garden next to the villa provides superb shade during the heat of a summer day. The large semi circular granite extension area that protrudes out over the bank and with stunning river views is the outdoor dining area; it has a large circular granite table, the largest that can be possibly made due to the maximum size of the granite blocks mined nearby.

Above and below are photos that show the locations of the nearest neighbours, plus other aspects of course. The above photo shows more clearly the entrance gatehouse to this property, which is aside a neighbour's storage building (they have a restaurant in the cramped town centre of Moncao and store much of their items at home). The granite "cubos" driveway you see runs all the way from the gatehouse down to double river gates, giving you vehicle / boat access to the River Minho; there is even an old private slipway still there. This driveway also provides a much gentler / less strenuous option to walk down to / up from the river gates.