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Algares |
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The road drops steeply down to the village of Amieiros, around several tight bends, and then stops abruptly in the cobbled square. The old village can only be reached by foot, as the roads narrow to just over 1m wide, dropping down to cultivated land and a small stream. The village is south-facing and protected from cold winds. Even at this altitude the village has several large productive orange trees. Traditionally the villagers were employed in sheep and goat tending, and also in the mines at Roda Cimeira in the 1950’s. The village was also known for its charcoal burning –the villagers collected tree roots on the mountains and hills in the Góis region, sometimes living away from home for several weeks at a time, and sleeping in small bunkhouses or wherever they could. The charcoal was then transported by oxcart, as far as Lousã. From 1950 onwards the forestation of the region began, and this led to a decrease in sheep and goat-keeping. Today about 30 goats are still kept in the village. Amieiros shares a chapel with Cabeçadas, built in 1934 and dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Saúde. Every Easter Saturday the Comissão de Melhoramentos do Povo de Amieiros e Cabeçadas organizes a big community lunch where the inhabitants of the villages, and their families and friends meet together to eat and socialize. The annual festa is held on August 15th. |
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| Updated 28 January, 2010 | ||||||||||||