Cerdeira Home for Creativity

About

Hidden away in a small valley at 700m above sea level in the center of Portugal, Cerdeira was a village of schist houses at risk of disappearing after agricultural activity was abandoned in the middle of the 20th Century. Almost 300 years old, the village was built by courageous people, farmers who lived off the land and who, even if they left in search of a better life for their families, would always come back and visit their home.

Today, Cerdeira has new stories to tell, of new inhabitants who have, will their persistence and will power, breathed life and purpose back into this place, of men and women who have knowledgeably restored the houses and made them comfortable, as a 21st century house should be, of guests who choose the village to spend their holidays, and of artists from all over the world who come in search of inspiration. Cerdeira is now one of 27 villages that make up the network of Aldeias do Xisto.

Since 1988 Kerstin Thomas and Bernard Langer have been recovering some of the houses in the village of Cerdeira. Later in 2000, Natália and José Serra, friends they had met in Coimbra, joined in the recovery effort. Gradually, the project gained form and meaning. In 2006 was organised the first Arts festival "Elementos à Solta". In 2012, the Cerdeira Village project started, which in 2018 became Cerdeira - Home for Creativity.

Now we became a community of arts with a village as home and the world as our inspiration. Our mission is to provide an offering where nature and creative vision combine to create unique experiences and unique products. To showcase the freedom and space of a village in the hills of Lousã, the authenticity and comfort of a stay in our schist houses, and to be an epicenter of cultural inspiration through art and creativity