Terras is built on the hillside overlooking the rich fertile fields of the Sótão valley. The houses are built alongside the narrow road as it passes through Terras. The land around Terras used to  all be cultivated, and people kept sheep and goats that grazed on the hillside. The corn was ground in the three mills of Monteira, and the olives were taken to the lagars of Vila Nova do Ceira for pressing. Wine was made for private use. The ‘eira’ (threshing floor) was in the middle of the village where the road is now. The road through the village of Terras used to be only a narrow ox cart track, while  the road to Caselhos was only a footpath.  Below the village is the ‘Levada de Cima’, one of the most important levadas in the area, that comes from Casal da Ribeira. The children from Terras used to go school at Monteira until 15 years ago, and people went to the chapel in Monteira or to the church from Vila Nova do Ceira.
Joaquim dos Santos talked to us about life in his village, and told us some good stories:
On the rye that was grown in the locality grew a species of fungus that they called ‘cornecho’ (‘horn-like’). Joaquim dos Santos remembers that as a young child, about 70 years ago, he collected this fungus and sold it to the pharmacy in Vila Nova do Ceira. (We think this must have been ergot, used pharmaceutically to stop post-natal bleeding.)

At Carnival time they had a very special tradition in this and the neighbouring villages, called  ‘Cantar as pulhas’ (‘joke-song’). One or more people would hide at night in the bushes or behind the trees, with a funnel that served as a kind of megaphone, and would call out everything that had happened in the village throughout the year, every rumour or secret, sparing nobody. One time some of the villagers discovered one of these “storytellers” and threw stones at him and his funnel. He ran away as fast as he could, falling into a bramble bush, and the funnel is apparently still where he dropped it, but with a big dent!
They held many dances in the village, normally in private houses, and often Chico da Canáda from Caselhos would come to play on his concertina.  On one occasion people were dancing on a wooden verandah, that was fixed on wooden poles. For a joke, someone pulled out one of the poles and the whole verandah collapsed with the people on to the street. Allegedly no-one was hurt!
Once, Sr. Joaquim dos Santos remembers going to a dance in Poiares on the festa of Sr.ª das Necessidades. Lots of people were dancing in the light of petrol lamps that were hung around, and there was also a beautiful girl dancing among the people. At one point she sang out: “O lencinho de meia coroa ninguém tem se não eu, ainda agora entrou o palerma que mo deu.” (“You see this cheap scarf of mine – it was given to me by this half-wit!”) The ‘half-wit’ in question replied in rhyme singing :  “O lencinho de meia coroa ninguém tem se não tu, ganhaste-lo bem ganhado com os balancinhos que destes ao cu.” (“That cheap scarf of yours was very well-earned by the jiggling of your ass!”) People had been waiting for this – an excuse for a set-to - and the first thing they did was to put out the lamps and then everybody started fighting. As it was dark nobody knew who fought with whom, and afterwards everybody was friends again!
Finally, Sr. Joaquim dos Santos remembers the occasion of the festa of Stº António in Sacões when an ox-cart bearing a huge barrel of wine was secured by two wooden beams placed under the wheels. Two of the tipsy party-goers started arguing, and the argument turned into a fight. To call a halt to the fight, someone had the idea of taking the beams away, and the barrel rolled off down the hill, so the wine couldn’t make more problems.