We visited a local accommodation in a typical Alentejo house called Império de Memórias (Empire of Memories) and learnt a little more about this project from the owner Isabel Lopes.
Isabel, from the Alentejo village of Vale de Bordalo in the municipality of Gavião, left the village at the age of 22 to study bank management in Lisbon and months later joined the banking industry in the capital, where she stayed for around three years.
At the time he had a young daughter and decided to return to his roots, where all his family was, because he felt he would have more support back home. He also worked in banking for more than 30 years in Alto Alentejo.
He inherited an old, uninhabited family home in Vale Bordalo. He gradually restored it and says it was a refurbishment designed with the heart of the desire to revitalise and preserve a family home, full of stories and happy memories. From the hayloft and chicken coop came porches, never losing the identity of the family home, but always giving it his own special touch, never thinking that one day he would turn this heritage into local accommodation.
At the time of the pandemic, a niece came up with the idea of renting out the space because people needed to go to the countryside, get out of the city and be safe in an isolated place without much contact with people. From then on, she rented to friends, then to friends of friends, and soon Império de Memórias Casa de Campo was born. Isabel took care of all the paperwork and began to publicise the project to the world.
This country house is located on a farm, promoting all the principles of sustainability. It has an organic vegetable garden that all guests can enjoy with whatever they wish, chickens that lay eggs daily and fruit trees. There's also an aromatic herb corner.
All guests are greeted with a welcome basket of Isabel's delicacies and organic eggs from the farm's chickens. The house has a maximum capacity of 8 people, 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room with a fireplace and a swimming pool for the warmer season. Throughout the farm we can find inspiring messages, we feel truly at home and it's as if we've taken a trip back in time to our ancestors.
Isabel also has another passion, respect for nature, and has created her own line with what the countryside has to offer. We're talking, for example, about jams made with seasonal fruit and produce from the farm. She also produces liqueurs with the same principle, pennyroyal or lemon, Figueira leaf (canuá), and it was through this name that the story began and gave rise to the logo of this accommodation.
Isabel is an excellent hostess and welcomed us with freshly squeezed orange juice from one of her orange trees on the farm and her marvellous homemade jams.
It was a pleasure to visit this space, the conversation with Isabel was very frank and emotional, as this hostess speaks from the heart and everything comes from her soul.
A family country house for those who want to be in the peace of the Alentejo, inviting you to take a quiet break in contact with nature. The perfect accommodation for family holidays and the ideal place to discover the magic of the Alto Alentejo, so genuine, so full of flavour, simplicity and friendliness.
Empire of Memories - Country House
Rua Nova, 1
Vale Bordalo
6040-078 Gavião
Contact: +351 938 886 402 (call national mobile network)
Email: info@imperiodememorias.pt
