Description of Experience
The landscape as sustenance and heritage
Sistelo is a cultural landscape shaped by a long history of human presence. Classified as a National Monument and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the village brings together natural beauty and the memory of the practices that have sustained it over time.
Terraces climbing steep slopes, a remote rural setting and the legacy of subsistence farming define this singular place, where landscape and food have always been closely intertwined.
At Casa do Castelo, a short film follows the cycle of corn and bread, revealing field labour, the water mill and the wood-fired oven — essential elements of everyday sustenance in earlier times.
The journey continues in Arcos de Valdevez around a shared meal, in a carefully chosen rural setting, prepared by people engaged in seasonal and environmentally attentive practices. It concludes with a walk through the historic centre, marked by its Baroque religious heritage.
— “Sistelo has the air of the ends of the earth, of a place outside of time. It is like entering another world, another continent — a well-kept secret first glimpsed from afar. Sculpted mountain landscapes, agricultural terraces…” — TF1
Experience details
EXPERIENCE DURATION
● Approx. 7–8 hours
WAY OF EXPERIENCING
● Territory mediation, led locally
● Transport
● Shared lunch in a rural setting
● Discovery walk through Sistelo in the morning, followed by Arcos de Valdevez after lunch
DAY UNFOLDING
● Group meeting
● Introduction to the territory and the experience
● Exploration of Sistelo and its Cultural Landscape
● Exclusive lunch
● Travel to Arcos de Valdevez
— Discovery of the town and its historical heritage
● Return to the meeting point
EXPERIENCE CONDITIONS
● Experience designed for small groups (5 to 8 participants)
WHAT IS INCLUDED
● Territory mediation, led locally
● Transport
● Regional lunch
● Civil liability and personal accident insurance
● VAT
VALUE OF THE EXPERIENCE
● €130 per person
● Small groups (min. 5 / max. 8 participants)
— The price reflects an experience at a human scale, where territory, knowledge, and gastronomy are engaged with time and attention
MEETING POINTS
● Ponte de Lima
● Arcos de Valdevez
● Monção
LUNCH — IMPORTANT NOTES
● Lunch in a private rural setting, inspired by the rhythms of the land and seasonal local produce
● Set menu, shared by the entire group
Gallery
