As Shale Villages are divided over four areas: “Serra da Lousã”, “Serra do Açor”, “Zezere” and “Tejo-Ocreza”. Today we focus on four of the twelve Shale Villages of “Serra da Lousã” for the privileged location for access from Coimbra.
From the Hotel Oslo, you can reach the beautiful shale village “Casal de São Simão” in 30 minutes. From only one street, a small village which main features are a fountain, a chapel and an excellent Restaurant of flavors, the “Varanda do Casal” Restaurant. Silence prevails here. The new villagers, who abandon the rush of the city for the tranquility of a village at the weekends, rebuilt the houses by their hands. A peculiarity of this Village is that it is embedded in the wonderful “Fragas de São Simão”, a place of unique beauty. The access is done by walking 15 minutes by the pedestrian route. There is also a belvedere where one can be dazzled even more with the beautiful landscapes of the area.
Also 30/40 minutes from Hotel Oslo, you can find another Shale Village, “Gondramaz”. Here, you will be welcomed with a poem by Miguel Torga, one of the most influential Portuguese poets and writers of the 20th century. What distinguishes this Village is a specificity of its Shale and the fact that it was a success case in the intervention of requalification of the network of the Shale Villages. The application of Schist on Aldeia pavement makes it more accessible for people with reduced mobility. Here all the surrounding spaces invite you for a walk and at a distance of 3 km from Aldeia, there is a beautiful waterfall.
“Aldeia de Cerdeira”, 50 minutes from Hotel Oslo, stands out for the misaligned profile of its buildings. The buildings were laid on a rocky hill, not occupying the scarce flat areas dedicated to agriculture. This Village, which was once in ruins, is a romantic and magical place, where several water lines precipitate from the top and contrast with the surrounding foliage. This is also a Village rich in artistic activities because here are held training workshops and small creative experiences. Cerdeira is known today for the art “craft”, ceramic pieces created by artists in a smoke-free oven built in the Village. Visitors can also build their own pieces. This movement was started by the German artist Kerstin Thomas who came to the village for more than 20 years ago and has invited friends artists, domestic and foreign, to produce there art. In the community oven, it is also possible to cook bread.
The Talasnal, the most widely known in shale village in Lousã, also about 50 minutes from the Hotel Oslo. Several pedestrian and hiking paths pass through this Village, making it a village with a greater tourist affluence. The main street, opens to smaller streets and alleys that create a picturesque athmosphere. Here nature reigns where deer, corsos, wild boars and other species lurk. The restaurant Ti Lena, one of the “secrets” of this Village, in a stone house, particularly well recovered, resembles a tavern. It is worth spending a while there, enjoying their specialities from the terrace and glaze at the mountains. Ti Lena only opens at the weekends and on the other days it works only by advanced reservation.
Shale Villages are one of Portugal’s best kept secrets. Here we enter in a world apart, where, as time seems to slow down, quietness, peace and tranquility dominate. So if you are in Coimbra, you need to visit one of these wonderful unique villages.