I enjoyed very much this journey in the historical villages of Portugal: beautiful landscapes and very nice encounters.
These historical villages with their castles were strategic places in the moment of the wars between Portugal and the reign of Castilla: we visit the castle of Marialva where the comedian Francisco Leite Silva presents the story the castle helped by costumed villagers.
Then in Belmonte we discover the story of the Jewish community who fled from the Inquisition and found refuge in this place: there is a synagogue and now Jewish tourists are coming to visit this place: Arieh Hatchuel managed a small store and sells Jewish items.
In the other villages the people goes to the Catholic chuches: a place of encounter for the members of the community. But also the people go to the associative cafes: Paulo Calado, manages the associative cafe in Marialva (Bar do Clube): a place of encounters of the villagers. Besides the benefits are used in the preparation of the village fair and in the social help to older persons.
In the Beira area there is a new 5-stars hotel (the Casa de Sao Lourenço) managed by Nuno Almeida Leite who presents the hotel with 20 rooms, a spa and an excellent restaurant: a concept of modern architecture integrated in the middle of the nature.
Diogo Rocha, the chef of the restaurant "Mesa de Lemos" has received a Michelin star, a reward for his cuisine and also for the region.
The real estate agent Victor Manuel Sobreira tells that there are a lot of old mansions and manors in this region, houses with lot of rooms and the quietness of the countryside.
Then we meet Nuno Adriano, the hiking guide on the hiking trail Number 22: he goes with his visitors to the village of Castelo Novo and later they will cross the other historical villages.
But the trail Number 22 is also a bike trail: Nuno Martins organizes bike tours and the bikers can stay in his "Bikotel": a guesthouse with a swimming pool and a bike repair workshop.
Many of the villages have been touched by the rural exodus: Bruno Mendes , whose parents are managing a grocery, takes every Saturday his little lorry and delivers foods to 40 families living in remote hamlets and villages: the older persons enjoy very much these deliveries.
Besides Joaquim Bogas of the commune of Sabugal drives a little bus through 40 villages and helps the people to solve their administrative problems and now a mobile library is also circulating in the villages.
Then we know the story of Cerdeira: an abandoned village: Kirsten, a German sculptor and other people began in 1988 to restore the houses: but she doesn't want to have a museum-village, so artists from all the world arrive at the House of the Creativity to make workshops: Marc Lancet as come from California to manage to pottery workshop.
Ana Berliner has come from Lisbon to Castelo Rodrigo and has restored an old mansion, now "Casa da Cisterna" , a hotel with swimming pool giving then job opportunities to some persons of the village.
Finally a stop at the vineyards of the Douro river: there Sophia Bergqvist, manages the "Quinta de la Rosa", a 100 hectares estate which produces red wine and port wine: we see how the people tread.the grapes with the feet, the best pressing for the port wine.
I enjoyed the encounters of Sophie with Ruben Andre Silva (the photographer), with Adriana (the old lady in Monsanto), with Andreia Machado (Ruben's spouse), with José Rego Relvas , the "adufe" maker, with the women singing and playing the "adufe" in Idanha-a-Nova, with Hélène and her husband in Monsanto, with Luis Coelho in Piódao, with Paulo Mimoso in Linhares da Beira, with Francisco,the farmer, with the cheese-maker Margarida, with the family of Paulo, with Ana Berliner (the private nature reserve of Faia Brava and the village fair in Castelo Rodrigo) , very nice encounters with very kind Portuguese men and women.
These historical villages with their castles were strategic places in the moment of the wars between Portugal and the reign of Castilla: we visit the castle of Marialva where the comedian Francisco Leite Silva presents the story the castle helped by costumed villagers.
Then in Belmonte we discover the story of the Jewish community who fled from the Inquisition and found refuge in this place: there is a synagogue and now Jewish tourists are coming to visit this place: Arieh Hatchuel managed a small store and sells Jewish items.
In the other villages the people goes to the Catholic chuches: a place of encounter for the members of the community. But also the people go to the associative cafes: Paulo Calado, manages the associative cafe in Marialva (Bar do Clube): a place of encounters of the villagers. Besides the benefits are used in the preparation of the village fair and in the social help to older persons.
In the Beira area there is a new 5-stars hotel (the Casa de Sao Lourenço) managed by Nuno Almeida Leite who presents the hotel with 20 rooms, a spa and an excellent restaurant: a concept of modern architecture integrated in the middle of the nature.
Diogo Rocha, the chef of the restaurant "Mesa de Lemos" has received a Michelin star, a reward for his cuisine and also for the region.
The real estate agent Victor Manuel Sobreira tells that there are a lot of old mansions and manors in this region, houses with lot of rooms and the quietness of the countryside.
Then we meet Nuno Adriano, the hiking guide on the hiking trail Number 22: he goes with his visitors to the village of Castelo Novo and later they will cross the other historical villages.
But the trail Number 22 is also a bike trail: Nuno Martins organizes bike tours and the bikers can stay in his "Bikotel": a guesthouse with a swimming pool and a bike repair workshop.
Many of the villages have been touched by the rural exodus: Bruno Mendes , whose parents are managing a grocery, takes every Saturday his little lorry and delivers foods to 40 families living in remote hamlets and villages: the older persons enjoy very much these deliveries.
Besides Joaquim Bogas of the commune of Sabugal drives a little bus through 40 villages and helps the people to solve their administrative problems and now a mobile library is also circulating in the villages.
Then we know the story of Cerdeira: an abandoned village: Kirsten, a German sculptor and other people began in 1988 to restore the houses: but she doesn't want to have a museum-village, so artists from all the world arrive at the House of the Creativity to make workshops: Marc Lancet as come from California to manage to pottery workshop.
Ana Berliner has come from Lisbon to Castelo Rodrigo and has restored an old mansion, now "Casa da Cisterna" , a hotel with swimming pool giving then job opportunities to some persons of the village.
Finally a stop at the vineyards of the Douro river: there Sophia Bergqvist, manages the "Quinta de la Rosa", a 100 hectares estate which produces red wine and port wine: we see how the people tread.the grapes with the feet, the best pressing for the port wine.
I enjoyed the encounters of Sophie with Ruben Andre Silva (the photographer), with Adriana (the old lady in Monsanto), with Andreia Machado (Ruben's spouse), with José Rego Relvas , the "adufe" maker, with the women singing and playing the "adufe" in Idanha-a-Nova, with Hélène and her husband in Monsanto, with Luis Coelho in Piódao, with Paulo Mimoso in Linhares da Beira, with Francisco,the farmer, with the cheese-maker Margarida, with the family of Paulo, with Ana Berliner (the private nature reserve of Faia Brava and the village fair in Castelo Rodrigo) , very nice encounters with very kind Portuguese men and women.