The Souto de Rozabales is a small monumental chestnut grove protected as a Natural Monument, in the municipality of Manzaneda, in Terras de Trives. It occupies about 1.80 hectares and brings together several very old chestnut trees, including the famous Castiñeiro de Pumbariños, of great size and exceptional perimeter. The whole is a space of human origin, shaped for centuries by the traditional use of chestnut and wood, but today it is visited as a unique landscape where natural, cultural and ethnographic value coexist. From the point of visit a slightly sloping chestnut grove can be seen, with specimens of very thick trunks, wide crowns and an undergrowth typical of humid mountain environments. The interest lies in the scale of the trees, in the reading of the old agricultural use of the forest and in the atmosphere of a well-tended forest, rather than in a long walk. Benches have been installed around the trunk of Pumbariños to contemplate it calmly, which reinforces its character as a protagonist tree. Its relevance is supported by the official declaration as a natural monument by the Xunta de Galicia and the presence of the castiñeiro singular in Galician heritage catalogs. It is a place often mentioned in guides and tourist resources of the province of Ourense for the age and monumentality of its chestnut trees. The best time to visit it is usually autumn, for the color of the foliage and the fall of chestnuts, although spring and summer allow us to better appreciate the lushness of the trees. On humid days the atmosphere is more intense and photogenic, but it is also advisable to exercise extreme caution on the ground.
