When we found out about this land
we heard from former owners that nobody had lived here for about 40 years. The deed already belonged to many people, having been inherited by children and grandchildren throughout that period. We know that in the old days a lot of cereal was planted and that the hills were inhabited by many families. Much of the history of this place was told to us by the neighbouring couple, Ti Catarina and Tio Joaquim das Pinhas, who lived on the hillside for 50 years, and were caretakers of the land right next to ours.
Ti Catarina & Tio Joaquims
They were shepherds of cows and sheep, had pigs and vegetable gardens, and to leave the serra they had to walk or cycle 5 km to Bensafrim. They collected and made some of the best "medronho", (local firewater) in the region and lived in a very simple way. In the hills, besides strawberry trees, there are also cork oaks, pine trees, heather, cistus and gorse. In the fields they produced barley, wheat and gathered a lot of medronho (aka arbutus-berry tree). The animals grazed on the hillsides, and in the summer they had to go out for several months near Barragem da Bravura to get something to eat. Life was simple and hard. Ti Catarina got her first shoes at the age of 15. Her son grew up walking almost two hours to Barão de São João to get to and from school every day. At night, he would nestle up with his mother among the sheep so they wouldn't get cold and would guard them during the night. About 15 years ago, a fire passed nearby and filled the mountains with black smoke; it was the only time in 50 years that they had to evacuate their house. They used to hunt wild boar, collect strawberry tree and cork and produce cereal as their main activities. We are honour their legacy and all those who have contributed to this place, and are committed to continue to protect and learn the ways of the land.
Corte Medronheira
Corte Medronheira is a 36 hectare land mainly covered with cork oaks, strawberry trees and pine trees. An extended family of kindred spirits, adults and children, willing to experience, listen, learn and embody regenerative experiences in an immersive and authentic way. We choose this pathway as a necessary contribution for finding balance as human beings in modern times. This place is a temple, a sanctuary, a place of retreat and rest for those who arrive exhausted by modernity, a place to (re)learn what it means to belong and exist as part of a living and complex ecosystem. We envision this place as a refuge for all human and non-human beings, honouring all those who came before us and all the wisdom they left us through their ways of living with and from the land and other species. May our livelihoods contribute to the lives of all those who are yet to come.
We call it home
Our initial intention is to get to know and belong to this place, without too many projections, plans or ambitions, so that we can also understand what the place already is and what we want to keep or transform. We don't call it a project, we call it home. We intend to maintain the landscape authentic, protect and renaturalise what is needed and cooperate as and with the natural elements. Produce food and plant more trees. We want to intervene only as much as is necessary for the landscape to thrive and regenerate, to make it a better version of itself. To minimise the risk of fire, to maximise the presence of water, in times of drought and adaptation to new climate patterns that are observed every year.
