CASA DO PENEDO (BOULDER HOUSE)

This strange looking building, Casa do Penedo, is more famously known as The Boulder House, or House of The Rock, because it looks, simply, like a large rock. Located in the Fafe, in the northern region of Portugal, the structure will mark its 49th anniversary in October. A massive tourist attraction, the house was designed to be perfectly integrated into the landscape and to serve as a family shelter. It was originally used by the owners as a holiday destination, however, it is now the site of a small museum. Visitors can interact with nature, stargaze, or just enjoy the peace that comes from being surrounded by clean mountain air.

At one time, Boulder House was considered to be the “strangest house in the world.” The two storey house is small in size with a kitchen and living room incorporating rustic furnishings and a sofa made of concrete. Phone giant Samsung decided to capitalise on the remoteness of the property and, as part of the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, created the first ‘in the middle of nowhere’ co-working space to demonstrate how smartphone features make it possible to work from anywhere.

The experience of the five guests recruited for the campaign by Samsung has been documented in a number of videos.

Hidden deep inside the Serra do Açor you’ll find the historic slatestone village of Piódão. Almost all houses here are made from typical slate stone, and many of them were plastered over by their owners because the slate material was considered “poor man’s stone.” The houses underwent a restoration process from the late 1970s and the village was then given Portuguese protected status. The houses were built huddled together on the hillsides for protection against the elements, especially the wind, and the doors and window frames are all an eyecatching, uniform blue colour. The story goes that the villagers found a big barrel of blue paint in the isolated village and began painting as a form of protection from the weather.

Reaching this village means hiking through the small alleys that connect it, which makes it popular with both nature and sports enthusiasts. Nearby, the waterfall, Fraga da Pena, sits inside the national protected area called Mata da Margaraça which is home to rare mushrooms, trees and flowers.