The Place
The History
Monte de Nossa Senhora, was once a 100 hectare farm in South Alentejo, Portugal, owned by the same family for 2 centuries. In the 1970s, the patriarch died, the children all left for the city to earn money and the land was divided into three parts of approximately 30 hectares. Each one inherited by a separate branch of the family.
For 40 years ‘our’ part of the farm was kept to the best of the family’s ability, cleared of weeds, harvested for cork, and the house used for holidays. In their hearts they wanted to return, but the practicalities of life made that impossible, so they finally decided to sell it. To let it go into the care of people who wanted to live on the land and revive the place before it was too late for the land to regenerate. That’s us.
The Present
It was a totally impractical decision on our part, there was no liveable house, no infrastructure, just an old well and lots of space. But everytime we tried to say no, it came back again, and in the end heart won over mind. We had no idea what we were getting into, when we decided to commit to this piece of land and bring it back to life. It has been a steep learning curve. But here we are. Using the principles of the traditional Portuguese Montado, a circular system where humans, animals and woodlands feed each other, and holistic pasture management principles we have seen the land return to health.
There are more trees growing than dying, grazing for our animals has increased, and valuable medicinal plants flourish, which we harvest to distill essential oils as a source of income. We now have an abundance of wildlife living along side us, the bird and insect population flourishes, and life-giving fungi multiply. We interfere as little as possible and as much as is needed, allowing nature to do its thing, and supporting it where we can. The horses are an integral part of this. You support us as well when you buy our products or come to stay.
The Future
We could never have imagined what the future would bring 10 years ago, all the ups and downs, trials and challenges we’ve faced. And truly we never know what the future will bring. But we’re not too concerned. Like the horses, we live one step at a time, following our noses and taking care of whatever presents itself. We are always learning as we go and become more intimate with our inner and outer eco-sphere every day. Living like this it becomes clear what is truly important in this small beautiful life we have been gifted and we embrace it gladly. I can’t see us going anywhere soon 🙂