In the north of the country, between steep mountains and stone paths, there is a uninhabited village where no cars circulate, there is no electricity, piped water or sanitation. Those visitors find only ruins of houses, watercourses and unusual silence.
According to Portal Nit, it is Drave, a village located between Serra da Freita, Serra de São Macário and Serra da Arada, in the middle of Arouca Geopark. Since 2009 that no one resides there permanently. The place is preserved by the scouts, who organize regular visits and maintain part of the buildings standing.
Between history and legend
The birth of the village remains uncertain. According to the same source, there are archaeological records, such as quotes and castros that indicate remote occupation, as well as historical references in documents from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, during the reign of D. Dinis.
Still, there is no shortage of legendary versions. Nit writes that some believe that the village was a refuge of criminals for their isolated location. Other narratives speak of a man rejected by his community who will have built the first housing and, after winning a mate in a Portuguese stick match, will have formed the first resident couple.
Families, ceremonies and abandonment
Over the centuries, several families have lived in Drave. Explains the same site that the Martins family was one of the most relevant, with continuous presence from 1700 until the year 2000. The total vacancy happened only in 2009, when the last resident came out.
Despite the abandonment, the village retains a recovered church, the scene of a ceremony that will have gathered more than 600 people. According to the same source, they still resist stone houses, some reduced to ruins, and a wooden spike built by the scout. Visitors also find small lakes and streams that cross the valley.
How to get to the heart of the mountain
Access is from Regoufe, the closest village with the road. The publication adds that the route takes about three hours on foot, with sharp unevenness and moderate difficulty track.
In summer, the walk is rewarded by water and waterfall courses that serve as a refuge for those looking for tranquility. Between saws and rocks, the village remains uninhabited, but continues to attract visitors for its natural environment and rare silence that surrounds it. It cites the publication made on Instagram on the @eating_miles page, where it can be read that the village is currently managed by scouts and that sleeping is required to ask them authorization, and it is necessary to bring a tent.
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