In days of old when knights were bold, the land-owning Calheiros family of Portugal would lend the support of its own small army to the country's kings to fight their wars. In return, the Calheiros, who have owned their estate in Portugal's northern Minho Valley since 1336, received privileges and status. This slide from grace and favor meant that over time many aristocrats withdrew from the countryside to their city residences, their grand mansions at best unmodernized, at worst boarded up. The Count's own mansion, set among vineyards outside the town of Ponte de Lima, in an area known for its Vinho Verde wine, was one of the first to benefit. Today it offers nine bedrooms inside the house and six apartments in restored outbuildings.
Visitors can dine with the count and taste local wines.
It was in a pretty bad state. When I told him that I was going to fix it in return for providing accommodation, he was not happy. But I went ahead, and eventually he came around to the idea. Since he opened Turihab's offices in Ponte de Lima in 1983, the Count has built a network of 97 houses across Portugal. As well as grand solares, they include quintas, or imposing farmhouses.