Algares
Amieiros
Amiosinho
Amioso Cimeiro
Amioso do Senhor
Amioso Fundeiro
Boiça
Cabeçadas
Candeia
Caniçal
Carrasqueira
Casal Novo
Chã de Alvares
Cilha Velha
Coelhosa
Corga da Vaca
Cortes
Estevianas
Fonte dos Sapos
Fonte Limpa
Foz de Alvares
Lomba
Madeiros
Mega Cimeira
Mega Fundeira
Milreu
Obrais
Portela do Torgal
Relva da Mó
Roda Cimeira
Roda Fundeira
Simantorta
Telhada
Vale da Fonte
Vale do Laco
Varzina

Chã de Alvares is situated in a broad, gently sloping valley, unusual in the region, that has enabled several communities to develop. Today the village has a vibrant atmosphere, and the individual communities of  St.ª Margarida, Tulhas, Covão, Casal de Baixo and Casal de Cima are known collectively as Chã  (‘flat field’) de Alvares.

There has historically been a lot of activity in the area, with two mills and three bakeries, the bread being sent by mule to Castanheira da Pêra, Pampilhosa da Serra and Álvaro to be sold. Much ‘aguardente’ used to be made from the arbutus plants that grow profusely in the area. Bees were kept for honey, and sheep and goats were tended by the children of the communities. The collection of resin was very important and anyone owning pine trees would take an annually negotiated price for their resin (sangria dos pinheiros). There used to be two resin companies working in the area - one of them is still active today. These two companies used to be the main employers for the inhabitants of the local settlements, in the production of  turpentine.

The settlements of the village were famous for their festas and dances. There was a custom on the feast of S. João (at midsummer) to erect a mast in the square on to which was hung a pot containing a cat, and a fire lit underneath. (This custom also took place in other villages of the concelho, and probably harks back to the time of the Inquisition when both women deemed to be ‘witches’ and their cats were put to death by burning.) Wolves used to live in the region, and would commonly accompany travelers walking home at night from Góis.

It is said that the settlements that make up Chã de Alvares grew up originally at the time of the Roman, or Moorish occupation, since the area was rich in gold. More recently, there is a story that João Brandão, a famous thief, was active in the region stealing from the rich to give to the poor and running an organized protection racket. He and his big gang apparently used to attack at night. Also, during Napoleon Bonaparte’s French invasion, General Macena passed through here with his foot troops from Viseu.
Unlike villages in other parts of the concelho, the settlements that made up Chã de Alvares  did not see emigration to foreign countries, but as there were two or three important people  from the village working at the port in Lisbon, many  men went to work there as dock workers and were later followed by the women and children. This emigration started around 1920. But again unlike other villages in the concelho, Chã de Alvares has seen a growth of young people in recent years, and there is a feeling that there is a slow return of people from the city. The children these days travel into Alvares to go to school, and the old school in Chã de Alvares has been converted into a Casa do Convivio. People from the village gather together here regularly for meetings and to enjoy each others’ company.

To see the resin factory, and information about pine resin collection, click here.

Probably the most prominent landmark is the large church, dedicated to St.ª Margarida, that you see from the road as you drive south to Alvares. Around it is a little group of old and new houses. There used to be a little chapel next to where the church now stands, that contained an old image of St.ª Margarida – this is now in the Museum at Alvares. The church, that was inaugurated in 1962, has a memorial statue in front of it as tribute to the patrons who funded the landscaping of the churchyard.

As you turn down into the settlement of Chã de Alvares, the first community you pass through is Tulhas. The community grew up around the large quinta, still owned by the family Rebelo Arnaut, and it was once an important employer for local inhabitants. The quinta has been extensively restored over the past few years. The old buildings around the settlement are built from the local stone, and with time they have developed the colour of burnt sienna. At the bottom of the settlement is a large ‘lagar’ (olive press).

Just before the bridge at the bottom of Chã de Alvares is a narrow tarmaced lane that leads to the community of Covão. The old houses follow the narrow lane to a small square, where a track leads out into the forest in which the villagers have historically collected pine resin. Amongst the houses there is a large derelict building being taken over by vines and brambles, that was once the school for the children of the area.

Casal de Baixo is situated to the south –east of Chã de Alvares. A series of little lanes runs through the settlement. There are glimpses, as you walk through, of both its age and its past prosperity - granite, not local to the region, was imported to surround windows and doors. Today there are restored houses standing next to old stone buildings. From the settlement you can see the extent of the olive cultivation around Chã de Alvares. At Porto da Lagem (or Portelagem) there was a water source in front of the lagar - part of the property of the quinta of Tulhas. At the Casa do Romão you could buy anything you needed, and there was also a tavern. In front of this house used to be a diesel-powered  mill. In the settlement you could also find a blacksmith who made agricultural tools and horse and donkey shoes.

Casal de Cima is the largest settlement in Chã de Alvares, and can boast its own one-way system! As you enter, the first part of the settlement is called Favacal. This was the commercial part of the village, and you can still see an old brick chimney on the back part of a house that was once a bakery. At the heart of the settlement is the shaded festa area with a fonte, and a series of narrow lanes and walkways lead out into the settlement. In common with the other settlements that are part of Chã de Alvares, the old buildings are built from the local stone, that over time, has developed a beautiful colour.  There is an old resin works , now closed and ruined, above the settlement. Amongst the concrete it is still possible to find pieces of the refined resin. At 'Casal de Diogo Vaz' was another big quinta with two houses, owned by the family Mota. In the past Casal de Baixo and Casal de Cima were separate settlements linked by the houses on the hillside, at the place called 'Portela'.