From the road above, the village looks like a painting with the houses and stone paths completely brushed into the valley. A painting that you can visit, rest, dine and get water from the fountain.
In the 80’s the setting was very different and Cerdeira was more of a countryside village on the brink of disappearance. Kerstin Thomas and Bernard Langer found the ruins during a walk through the Lousã mountain range and fell in love with this “enchanted place”, which was created roughly
300 years ago by farmers and, at the time, abandoned. From the deepest passion a life project was born: to find the owners and recover the houses of shale, one by one.
In 2012, with the help of another couple – Natalia and José Serra – Cerdeira Village was born, a “creative tourism unit” renamed Cerdeira – Home for Creativity.
There’s a total of 9 shale houses set up for long stays, available to welcome from two to six people and leveraging the motto “tradition with comfort”. They were all recovered with local techniques and equipped with kitchen, central heating and a fireplace.
There are games and books instead of a TV, and on the bench a clay slap leaves the invitation: “let’s go to the fountain?”. The fountain is only a short walk away, next to the village’s natural swimming pool – a tank made of stone, like everything else around it.
As in any other village in Portugal, there is a Café Central (the Portuguese version of a pub) – in this case it’s called Café da Videira – where breakfasts and also some light meals are served. It is the only place in Cerdeira where you have access to free wi-fi. However, as you’re able to read in the slate, it is only possible to access it “after 30 minutes of conversation”.
Kerstin Thomas is an artist which means the whole project was designed to provide creative experiences and to retreat. In addition to a regular calendar of workshops, guests can enroll in different activities at the time of booking. These activities are perfect to share with children: wooden toy workshop, to cook jam, miniature shale houses or even a beginners course to the potter’s wheel. In the village there is also an unique ceramic oven, made under the guidance of a Japanese master. There is also a compost for organic waste and a recycling system, and each guest is responsible for taking their waste at the time of departure. Simple measures to continue the good care of the village. That don’t smudge the painting.
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Cerdeira
Seen from afar the village looks like a painting named Cerdeira. A painting where you can rest but also get water from the fountain.
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