The castle at Santa Maria da Feira was built in the 10th century, before Portugal became a country. Situated on the Douro coastline, INATEL Santa Maria da Feira offers its visitors the restful tranquillity of direct contact with nature, making for an unforgettable stay. In the vital core of what was once “Civitas Santae”, now the lands of Santa Maria, next to wooded hill where the castle reaches up to the sky, and important fair sprang up which later gave rise to the settlement. Today Santa Maria da Feira is an important industrial centre, particularly in the footwear manufacturing and cork transformation. It boasts one of the largest trade fair/conference complexes on the Iberian Peninsula, Europarque.