Xistopedia

“You can read a book anywhere. But few places are as beautiful as this one”

“You can read a book anywhere. But few places are as beautiful as this one”
villages and territory
For four days, the VIAGEM ao INTERIOR for books, people and the country swept through the Aldeias do Xisto to share books, stories and moments that remain fixed in our memory.

It was at the wheel of a white van, which was colourfully illustrated and loaded with books, that, on the morning of 7 May, João Ferreira Oliveira arrived at the Aldeia do Xisto, Figueira, in the county of Proença-a-Nova, and started the VIAGEM ao INTERIOR for books, people and the country.

As fate would have it, the beginning of this adventure coincided with the return to work of librarian Nuno Marçal, who has been touring the county’s villages with his Mobile Library for about 15 years. Over time, previously unknown faces appeared at the open doors of their homes and became family. These people “carry a lot of knowledge and know-how. They are in fact human libraries, even if they cannot read or write”, says Nuno. “I am very privileged to have gained their friendships”, he concludes.

 

The arrival of the Mobile Library provides “moments to meet and share”, says Joana Pereira, from Casa Ti’Augusta. He has enjoyed reading for as long as he can remember, and so waits joyfully “for the news that Nuno brings every fortnight”.

And in the afternoon, it was with joy and enthusiasm that the children of the Sarzedas Primary School received the Travelling Library. A demanding public, who were not backward in coming forward with their questions, they gave their opinions about the books, choosing the next story or providing an account of their daily life, drawing smiles from the adults present. “Every evening I read to my sister”, said one of the little ones.


“You can read a book anywhere. But few places are as beautiful as this one” . João Ferreira Oliveira is referring to the Lavandeira Fluvial Park in the Aldeia do Xisto of Janeiro de Cima. Here, the Zêzere reigns over a landscape whose stillness invites you to a dip in the books and a reading that captivates little human beings walking through it.


There was also the opportunity to share stories with the students from the EB1 School in Janeiro de Cima, where the enthusiasm was echoed.
 

 

In the Aldeia do Xisto of Fajão, in the county of Pampilhosa da Serra, the churchyard was the meeting point. Kids and grown-ups have got to know this project and certainly contributed to one of its objectives: arriving at the end with the van empty of books, but full of stories.


The Itinerant Library also went to the Aldeia do Xisto of Cerdeira, in the serra da Lousã, to learn the story of Kerstin Thomas, a German woman who settled there more than 20 years ago and learned Portuguese through books.

“It was intense. It went well. It was beautiful. I have read dozens of stories. I gave away almost 100 books. I saw in the kids a sparkle in their eyes and an ease with the stories that you don’t always find in the large centres. Moralistic speeches aside, I came to value even more the work of teachers and librarians who walk from one area to another doing what I am doing for jthis one time”, João Ferreira Oliveira writes in his summary on the Instagram page of the initiative, which is now heading to the Terra Fria Route (Trás-os-Montes) and will also pass through the Alentejo Interior and the Algarve Interior.

explore

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As Beiras
As Beiras
Pampilhosa da Serra
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João Brandão
João Brandão
Oliveira do Hospital
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Fugas Restaurant
Fugas Restaurant
restaurants
Varanda do Casal
Varanda do Casal
Casal de São Simão
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Museu da Chanfana
Museu da Chanfana
Miranda do Corvo
restaurants
Bem-Me-Quer
Bem-Me-Quer
Martim Branco
restaurants
Callum
Callum
Oleiros
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Santo Amaro
Santo Amaro
Sertã
lodging
Sete Quintas
Sete Quintas
Retorta
lodging
Casas do Favacal
Casas do Favacal
Favacal
lodging
Aldeia Ruiva Campsite
Aldeia Ruiva Campsite
Aldeia Ruiva, Proença-a-Nova
lodging
Casa da Moenda
Casa da Moenda
Benfeita
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Arganil Municipal Camping Park
Arganil Municipal Camping Park
Sarzedo
lodging
Hotel Parque Serra Da Lousã
Hotel Parque Serra Da Lousã
Miranda do Corvo
lodging
Casa do Caminheiro Hostel
Casa do Caminheiro Hostel
Talasnal
lodging
Casas da Mina - Hostel
Casas da Mina - Hostel
Cabeço do Pião
lodging
Casas do Sinhel
Casas do Sinhel
Relva da Mó
heritage
Chapel of São Sebastião
Chapel of São Sebastião
offer
Geological Walk in Sobral Fernando
Geological Walk in Sobral Fernando
tour
PR2 MCV - Gondramaz Schist trail - In the Miller’s Footsteps
PR2 MCV - Gondramaz Schist trail - In the Miller’s Footsteps
village
Benfeita
Benfeita
village
Comareira
Comareira
offer
Passeio Geológico de Foz do Cobrão e Sobral Fernando
Passeio Geológico de Foz do Cobrão e Sobral Fernando
offer
Dia e Noite no Centro da Natureza
Dia e Noite no Centro da Natureza
village
Martim Branco
Martim Branco
tour
PR1 PPS - Fajão Schist trails  – Climbing the cliffs
PR1 PPS - Fajão Schist trails – Climbing the cliffs
Casas do Rio
heritage
Religious tour in Pedrógão Pequeno
Religious tour in Pedrógão Pequeno
tour
Panoramic Road: Barroca - Fajão
Panoramic Road: Barroca - Fajão
heritage
Igreja Matriz de Aldeia das Dez
Igreja Matriz de Aldeia das Dez