A Treasure in the Desert. The Algarve of hills and memories
Nº90 SEPTEMBER 2025
Where is the most remote, far-flung corner of Portugal? Balurco de Baixo, Deserto, Atravessado, Tremelgo de Cima, Silgado, Tesouro… these are just some of the countless villages in northeastern Algarve and Alentejo that make up the Portuguese map of loneliness, population decline and exclusion. Who lives there? How do they get by? What do they think of the rest of the country?
This portrait, by a journalist with all the time in the world and a rucksack on his back, tells the story of a unique journey through space and time. It describes the isolation experienced by the elderly people who insist on remaining in the hills where they were born and made their homes. The author gives special attention to Alcoutim, one of the ten municipalities in the country with the lowest birth rates. There, where the land ends and the ocean is nowhere to be seen, the only treasure is the people.
Where is the most remote, far-flung corner of Portugal? Balurco de Baixo, Deserto, Atravessado, Tremelgo de Cima, Silgado, Tesouro… these are just some of the countless villages in northeastern Algarve and Alentejo that make up the Portuguese map of loneliness, population decline and exclusion. Who lives there? How do they get by? What do they think of the rest of the country?
This portrait, by a journalist with all the time in the world and a rucksack on his back, tells the story of a unique journey through space and time. It describes the isolation experienced by the elderly people who insist on remaining in the hills where they were born and made their homes. The author gives special attention to Alcoutim, one of the ten municipalities in the country with the lowest birth rates. There, where the land ends and the ocean is nowhere to be seen, the only treasure is the people.
More details
Dimensions
8 × 130 × 200 mm
ISBN
978-989-9243-34-7
Book available only in Portuguese
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