Latest news and stories about rural life in Portugal for expats and residents.
Fernão Joanes is a village in Guarda that celebrated one of the Serra da Estrela traditions this weekend, also as a way to pay tribute to the shepherds. It is the seasonal movement of herds from the higher pastures.
Animals are approaching populated areas in search of food.
Second part of the 'Investigação CM' from September 10, 2026.
A territory does not die when it loses its landscape. It dies when it no longer has people who want to live, work, and build their future within it.
Accompanied by nearly 500 sheep and goats, Joaquim descended from the heights of the Serra da Estrela on August 23rd, heading towards the town in the Gouveia municipality. He has been moving up and down with the animals for over 40 years.
A poetic description of a celebration taking place in a rural setting illuminated by fireflies.
FEATURE REPORT || After the major wildfires of 2017, a village in the Serra do Açor recovered an old way of managing the land: putting goats on the mountain. Today, Cátia, Nair and Anna look after a community herd of about 170 animals across 400 hectares of mountain terrain. The goats eat vegetation, clear paths and help reduce fuel for wildfires. Along the way, they provided work for three young women, won over the village and reached social media. “The goats are the real influencers,” the shepherdesses claim. The report is by journalist Tiago Palma, with cinematography by Pedro Batista and editing by Teresa Almeida. LEARN MORE: The Happy Shepherdesses against fire. These “influencers” eat everything and leave nothing behind.
Radio host Ana Galvão shares her experience of seeking peace in a rural area, highlighting the contrast with urban life.
A report indicates that children residing in urban areas in Portugal show lower physical fitness levels compared to their counterparts in rural villages.
Reflecting on childhood summers in Silgueiros, the author draws parallels between personal memories and the current reality of rural life. The text explores themes of social inequality, the importance of public services in low-density areas, and the vital role of immigrants in revitalizing these regions, advocating for a future where everyone has access to a dignified life.
A profile of Alexandre Montez, who balances his professional cycling career with his work as a poultry farmer during the Volta a Portugal.
Sociologist Paula Duque directs the 'Periferias' Film Festival, which brings award-winning films to villages along the Portuguese-Spanish border in the Alentejo: 'We have had as many as 700 people watching a film outdoors.'
The attack took place in the early hours of last Monday. The breeder estimates that the losses are around 15,000 euros.
Memories of a time that the interior must not let fall into oblivion.
The horizontal-wheel mills, always privately owned, were already enumerated and described in the survey ordered by the Marquis of Pombal after the earthquake.
In the interior, life is marked by a strange mix of lack and excess. I wouldn't trade these stresses for a traffic jam on the Segunda Circular. But I don't romanticise them either. A column by Liliana Carona.
Fountains are celebrated as places for meeting, sharing confidences and news, of all types: anonymous or named, simple, 'wading' or immersion, recent or centuries-old.
An upcoming major event celebrating rural life and traditions is set to take place in the Ribatejo region.
Portugal is currently among the countries with the lowest proportion of children and young people, and Portuguese children are among those who spend the most time in school. Vila Velha de Ródão is an exception in the country's demographic desert. It is one of the few municipalities where the number of children under 10 years old has increased.
In the days when peasants were men of faith, against thunderstorms and May plagues, there were promises, processions, votive offerings, stone crosses, and small stick crosses in the wheat fields to save the crops.
We climbed to the top of the Caramulo Mountains to discover this land of ancient granaries and threshing floors, of geraniums in fish crates, and of the festival and pilgrimage of Saint Frutuoso, which only fills up in the summer.
A book about a legacy “hand in hand with Spain”, which reached livestock tourism and may serve as a stimulus for other family stories.
This year, the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests received 326 reports of alleged damages.
There, the doctor, already with the same comforting smile, explained to Mr. José not to worry because, in truth, for his case—a case where the illness was fatal and very painful—there were “options”.
Part II of 'Investigação CM' from April 21, 2026.
Part I of 'Investigação CM' from April 21, 2026.
A young man, a high-performance athlete, left Lisbon to work in the countryside with his grandfather.
This pays tribute to Clarinda Fernandes, from Vilar do Monte, the eldest of 6, who looked after her siblings from the age of 9 and sold firewood and pine kindling with her father using an ox cart.
FEATURE REPORT || In Castro Laboreiro, transhumance still takes place between the winter settlement of Cainheiras and the summer settlement of Padressouro, with a mother and daughter moving their home, animals, and the season up the mountain. But this is also a story of resistance, memory, and a very unique way of being in the world. A story of freedom. The report is by journalist Tiago Palma, with cinematography by Lucénio Carvalho and editing by João Pedro Ferreira.
