It takes a ruined village? Portuguese inns set in ancient villages
April 10, 2019
The earliest written records of the ancient village of S. Gregório date back to1483. Set on a hill with the Serra d'Ossa for backdrop, the location chosen for this settlement could not have been better. This once prosperous village was at its peak home to over forty people. The surrounding land is very fertile and is used today to grow vines
Both the village and surrounding land were once the property of a rich nobleman, D. Luís Galvão Coutinho Freire. Its location was its downfall. Being so close to Estremoz, Borba and Vila Viçosa its inhabitants gradually moved to the cities, abandoning the village permanently in 1980s.
S. Gregório suffered no changes to its original 15th Century architecture and layout. With the passing of time the streets were covered over by weeds and the walls and roofs of the building fell in. But, this did not change the original style of the village, making it a unique location of incalculable historic value.
Deserted and abandoned, the village was bought in 1998 with the aim of restoring it.
Aldeia de São Gregório
Santiago Rio de Moinhos
7150 - 390 Borba
Centro/Beira: Aldeia de Póvoa Dão
A real medieval village located 14 km from Viseu in the village of Silgueiros.
This village was abandoned a few years ago with only one inhabitant and the remaining houses in ruins.
It has since been recovered, rebuilt and became a tourist village where the houses, all in granite and with the wooden interior, were kept in their original form.
In the village there is an already well-known restaurant and it excels by the various local specialties.
There is also a swimming pool for the exclusive use of the inhabitants, as well as a tennis and soccer field.
Mafra: Aldeia da Mata Pequena
Located between Mafra and Lisbon, Aldeia da Mata Pequena is a small rural village that was completely restored and transports visitors into the past in an untouched green landscape.
The 13 whitewashed houses outlined with blue and yellow have its own living room, kitchen, bathroom and backyard. They are equipped with cable TV, heating, sofas and wardrobes. Houses can accommodate 2 to 6 persons.
Guests are invited to explore the gastronomy of the region but alternatively they can prepare their own meals at the rustic fully equipped kitchen available in each house. Barbecue facilities are available, and the property leave
Aldeia da Cuada
Cuada was a tiny village that saw it villagers emigrate for a better life decades ago. When Carlos and Teotonia Silva started to buy up the ruined houses it was over grown, its ocean views no longer viable. Over two decades they bought and restored 15 of the towns’ 17 houses (one is still in the hands of a family, the other is a chapel), and made them into simple one and two bedroom cottages. The Aldeia (or Village in Portuguese) has the feel of an ancient town, with its rough stone paths (no cars allowed) open fields, and stone houses all with kitchenette, and furnished in period antiques.
And, the town is connected by a new road,and ancient paths to the nearby towns Fajã Grande and Fajazinha. Views to the west are of the sea, and to the east of the waterfalls.
Aldeia da Cuada (H, B)
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