Built in the early 14C under the reign of Dinis I to protect the road to Lisbon, the now-restored Castle of Abrantes proved utterly ineffectual against French invasions. In the courtyard, the view from the belvedere on the keep extends across the middle valley of the Tagus as far as the confluence with the Zêzere lower down. To the south, the landscape of olive trees is scattered with whitewashed villages. To the north lies the Serra do Moradal and the foothills of the Serra da Estrela.