Houses also tell stories

Start with the materials.

In Vilela, the municipal presentation draws attention to the granite masonry of the old streets. At Uz, it describes stone houses and some stalk covers. Compare walls and roofs: they are different parts of the construction and can ask for different materials and knowledge. The descriptions help to recognize the connection between settlement and landscape, but a distant photograph does not always allow identifying a cover. Note first what is visible; then add what you have learned at the source. The name of a material does not in itself give the age of a house, and the patrimonial reference to the stalk is not a count of the coverages that exist today.

• The granite also draws the villageIn Vilela, the walls help to recognize the landscape.
  • About 1 min to read
  • Includes activity
  • Words explained
• Stone on the walls, colme on the roofAt Uz, the materials also tell the story of the mountains.
  • About 1 min to read
  • Includes activity
  • Interactive exploration

Not all buildings were to live

Saving the harvest also required building. The canasters of Carrazedo make visible the importance of maize; in Casa de Chouzas, the municipal description brings together the dwelling and three granaries. Looking at the support constructions changes the reading of a set: beyond the main facade, there are functions linked to agricultural work. Compare what each source allows to state. In Carrazedo, the indicated capacity does not correspond to a currently measured harvest. In Chouzas, the granaries are attributed to the 19th century, while the dating of the house is presented with uncertainty. The photo of the gate doesn't show these three buildings. Knowing a heritage reference also does not mean having access to its interior.

• The corn left a mark on the villageIn Carrazedo, the canasters tell an agricultural history.
  • About 1 min to read
• A house with three granariesIn Chouzas, the housing heritage meets that of the harvest.
  • About 1 min to read
  • Includes activity
  • Words explained
  • Interactive exploration

Step back, then get back to the detail.

A house gains another reading when observing its position in the landscape. The presentation of Moscoso relates the core of rustic houses to the valley of the riverside of Cavez: buildings and relief are part of the same description. In Faia, the municipal monograph reads to Casa da Tojeira through transformations of various times, including balcony, staircase and relationship with the road.

Try alternating the scales: first the village set, then a façade and finally a detail. The image shows shapes; documentation helps to understand changes over time. A current view does not allow dating all parts nor shows that a building has remained the same since its origin.

• Moscoso look at the valleymountains houses, a stream and a name that stays in your ear.
  • About 1 min to read
  • Includes activity
• The Tojeira hasn't stopped in a centuryAn old house is also made up of transformations.
  • About 1 min to read
  • Includes activity