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Aigra Nova |
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Pontão do Seladinho is situated partly on the road between Góis and Lousã, and up the glaciated valley that is the course of the Rio Sotão. There are a few old cottages, but mostly the houses have been built since the opening of the paper mill at Ponte de Sotão. Below the houses the river flows round boulders into pools, some natural and some improved to divert the water for irrigation and to provide water power to the first mill. There are two main pools – the first is called ‘Poço da mina’ (Pool of the mine), where women used to wash the clothes. A tunnel leads from this pool down to the mill, now the site of the old paper factory. The second, called ‘Poço das meninas’ (Pool of the girls) is where traditionally the women go to swim in the summer. A little further up the valley is an old abandoned mill that used to grind the maize for the bakery in the village. Altogether there were once five mills, as almost all the families built their own. There was once also a “fullery” where blankets were made, using the same water as the maize mill. On the other side of the river, at the ‘Poço Ferve’, they made paper pulp mixed with maize stem to bulk it out. The pulp was carried in canisters on the back to the paper mill. The valley that the village sits in continues up and around Peneda de Góis, and an old track follows the valley, passing abandoned cottages. Historically, the local people would graze sheep and goats up the rocky valley, but were also involved in gold mining. The local people refer to the village of Pontão do Seladinho as ‘Penedo’ – meaning ‘rock’. The mountains around Pontão do Seladinho have the following names: the first is "Picote", the next is "A Fraga do Loiro" and the third "A Fraga do Penedo Castelo". There is a crag on the hillside of Picote that is called "A fraga da Rapousa", where the foxes breed. This place is situated above the water source, down on the river. This source has been used for more than 200 years and is still in use, as the water quality is very high. The village was a busy and thriving place in the past, with not only a bakery, but also a tavern and grocery shop. The bread was delivered on foot to the neighbouring villages, by women carrying it in baskets on their heads. The tavern was famous for the hospitality of its owners, Ernesto and Perpétua, and very popular with the passing traffic – people traveling with oxcarts, horses and on foot along this major route would make a point of stopping there. The charcoal trader from Cabeçadas came by once a week. |
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| Updated 20 June, 2008 | ||||||||||