Caminho para as Sete Quintas: Proposta de Valorização para uma encosta na aldeia de Videmonte

Abstract

The abandonment of rural areas and its connection to the forest fires of recent years have provided the foundation for the development of this master's degree dissertation. This work proposes an intervention within the context of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, specifically on a hillside where the village of Videmonte is located, in the municipality of Guarda, and aims to reintegrate a territory that is currently abandoned and fragmented. In this context, the concepts of Landscape and Heritage emerge as the foundation for recognizing the territory under study, providing a framework in which it is possible to identify the strengths and weaknesses that define this space, while confronting them with the opportunities and threats inherent to the described context. The 2022 wildfire and the Serra da Estrela Natural Park Revitalization Program emerge as the leading motivations behind the intention to create a landscape reinterpretation in this area, one that can respond to the current needs of the entire hillside. Accordingly, the enhancement proposal for a hillside of Videmonte culminates in the 'Path of the Seven Estates'. This path, beyond providing the intended connection across the hillside, serves as a foundation for rethinking the rural areas of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park. The reader is invited to navigate this dissertation, in the same way as the proposed path itself, with the purpose of guiding the argument developed throughout the work, and ultimately shaping a reinterpretation deemed necessary for the territory in question.