Lousã, 30 km from Coimbra, was a very important Roman settlement and remains of their roadways around the urban perimeter can still be found to this day.
In the river Ceira valley and hillsides there are vestiges of large gold exploration areas.
In the year 1000, the time its castle was built, the Moors were negotiating here with the local trade centre run by the Monastery of Lorvão near Penacova.
This castle was part of a line of defense which ran all the way to the Atlantic making a protective boundary between the Christian and Muslim worlds.
Lousã is known for its schist villages.