Bonus: Land of the Beiras Portugal’s “Old West” is

Go East, Look West

Story and photos by Winston Chou

We have a singular opportunity: the use of a house in an area of Portugal called the ‘Beira Interior.’ My Mac’s translator says beira means ‘edge,’ so we imagine this is like a ‘borderland’—it’s the ‘Old West’ frontier during the time of Portugal’s separation from León and the earliest monarchies of Dom Afonso Henriques and his successors: There is no reason to believe that the demographic revolution did not happen in Portugal, as it did all over Europe in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. Semi-deserted areas in Beira and Trás-os-Montes, which had never been populated before, are now occupied by small groups of settlers. The breaking down of the old Roman villa was accelerated, and within each villa, the smaller units (casais) assigned to one family were parceled out for all practical purposes among the surviving heirs. It was around that time that the new villae, in the sense of hamlets or villages rather than the old Roman exploitation form, were found here and there. (A. H. de Oliveira Marques, A Very Short History of Portugal, 2018) So, Portugal’s old west is to the east … and very old. Home-base during our visit is the village of Alfaiates, a tiny castle-town just a few minutes from the border (pop. 331 in 2011). Once the county seat, Alfaiates sits in the Côa River Valley, between the Serra da Estrella hills and Spain. The Côa watershed feeds the Douro and flows, counter-intuitively and uniquely, to the northeast. In de Oliveira Marques’ History is an illustration of Portugal’s border dropping southward during the Reconquista. The first border is labelled with the year 1064 and is drawn along the Mondego and the Serra da Estrella. Eye-balling it, Alfaiates sits just outside this line—the village was part of the kingdom of León until the Tratado de Alcanizes in 1297. The drive from Lisbon takes about four hours, so we plan a rest-stop in Abrantes, with a picturesque castelo high above the Tejo and easy access from the A-23. Unfortunately, when we arrive, the café is closed. Inside the castle is a beautifully restored church, the Igreja da Santa María do Castelo, which dates from 1215. Though rather plain on the outside, inside are incredibly carved tombs and recovered frescos. Hidden under the patterned tile, the frescos retain their color and life. Everything is wonderfully presented. The tombs form the Panteão dos Almeidas, the family of the Counts of Abrantes. Sepulchres vary in style from classical arches and pediments to “flaming” Gothic and Manueline. The azulejos appear to date from the installation of the most recent tombs during the 16th century. The rest of the fortress consists of the torre de menagem (keep), which sits on a wide, grassy mound. This part of the complex also contains the Palácio dos Governadores and the Entrada Nascente at the north. The south and west-facing walls are built in layers, with an old ruined porta falsa (traitor’s gate) at the lower level. Outside the fortress, along the south-facing walls, is a multi-level garden—a great place to walk, enjoy the views of the castle and the river Tejo, and stretch before getting back in the rental car. As the A-23 turns north through Fundão, the landscape shifts. Rather than the grassy hills of the Vale do Tejo, we begin to see large boulders dotting the sandy slopes. Soon, the boulders dominate and the grassy hills become the dots. At times, the boulders and hills part … and we see open plains of pasture grass, corn, and olive trees, with gigantic white cows and flocks of sheep—their grazing pastures enclosed by tidy stone boundaries.

We arrive in Alfaiates just before sunset. Acclimating ourselves to the house, we unpack and step out in search of dinner. We pass the Igreja Paroquial de Santiago Maior and the Adro da Igreja, a patio with astonishing vistas over the small stone houses to the farmlands. Feral cats roam freely, as the locals seem to leave the tops of the dumpsters open to keep them from starving. Dinner is found past the ramshackle castelo (currently being renovated), at a restaurant in the Largo de Nossa Senhora da Póvoa. A solemn statue stands watch under a street lamp, which turns on promptly at 7:15. Next to her is a tractor with a front-end loader full of pumpkins, alongside several other haphazardly parked vehicles. Nossa Senhora’s dedication reads, protegei os emigrantes (protect the emigrants—perhaps those departing, as well as arriving). To one side of the largo, a stop light manages non-existent traffic (there isn’t even a real intersection). As we eat, dogs stare impatiently, wondering whether we will finish our meals. At a nearby table, the locals watch futebol on a large, flat-panel TV. The moon sets at Nossa Senhora’s feet, as a deep darkness and the mosquitoes arrive ensemble. This marks our first impression of Alfaiates.

This is the first chapter of Winston Chou’s seven-day diary chronicling his journey through the Beira (Interior). Portugal Living Magazine will publish the complete, richly illustrated series as a special issue entitled As Beiras: Lands of Modest Excellence, to be distributed later this year.

Winston Chou is an architect, technology professional, and educator. He retired in 2019 and moved to Lisbon to travel, write, and draw. He loves the colors and history of Portugal, but misses going to the ball park.