ABSTRACT
This chapter aims at demonstrating the ways in which a geological resource, Anca stone, a limestone common to the counties of Coimbra and Cantanhede, in central Portugal, can, as a key element in the implementation of a tourist route, both enhance the role of Coimbra as an anchor-city for the development of ecotourism in the peripheral, more rural region while boosting tourism in Coimbra itself by offering tourists one more reason to stay in the city for a longer period of time. In environmental and landscape terms the extraction of the stone leaves marks that make the locations less attractive. The Ecotourism and geo-tourism may represent a viable alternative for the restoration and use of these spaces, making them more pleasant. Finally, a survey was conducted which consisted of direct contact with both the population and tourists visiting Coimbra and Cantanhede through semi-structured interviews intended to find out about the interest raised by such a tourist product.
