evidence: Did you know that after Lisbon, Vila Real was the only city in Portugal to house more members of the Portuguese royal family during the middle ages? Hence the name, Vila Real which means Royal Town. [...] First, let’s start with a brief history about Vila Real in Portugal. Vila Real is a small hilly city that overlooks the gorges of the Corgo River. It was founded in 1289 by King Denis of Portugal and is commonly known as the Royal town because many grand palaces were built in the city between the 16th and 17th century. Most of these were second homes and palaces for the Portuguese royal families in the middle ages. One prominent figure to hail from Vila Real is Diogo Cão, a great explorer from the age of discovery who explored Africa and is credited for the discovery of the Congo River. [...] Vila Real is situated in the Trás-os-Montes region in northeast Portugal. It is 100km (62 miles) from the Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto. Some neighbouring towns near Vila Real are Peso da Régua and Sabrosa.