The historic village of Póvoa Dão, located in Silgueiros, a few kilometers from Viseu, is once again up for sale – this time in an online auction, with a starting price of €1.7 million and a minimum value of €1.445 million. Classified as one of the most picturesque villages in the centre of the country, Póvoa Dão was reborn in the early 2000s as a tourist village, after an investment of approximately five million euros in the restoration of its 41 granite houses, chapel, and common areas.
According to the Jornal de Negócios, the original project was developed by the construction company Ramos Catarino, which acquired the village in 1995 and maintained its traditional Beira design. The company, based in Cantanhede, transformed the space into a charming rural retreat, complete with a restaurant, tennis court, and surrounding gardens. However, the construction company’s financial difficulties and the crisis that followed the collapse of BES (Banco Espírito Santo) ultimately led to the abandonment of the project.
The auction house Leilosoc describes the village as “a rare opportunity in the Portuguese real estate market,” highlighting its potential for “luxury eco-resorts, tourist villages, or wine tourism projects.” The newspaper Negócios notes that the current owner, Nacala Holdings, decided to proceed with the sale of the property after Ramos Catarino went bankrupt earlier this year.
With a total area of approximately 100 hectares and a carefully restored residential complex, Póvoa Dão represents an example of preserved rural heritage. “Every stone in the village of Póvoa Dão tells a story. Between the silence of the valley and the sound of the river, this village is a haven of authenticity – a setting where tradition and modernity unite,” reads the description published by the auction house.
The sale of this centuries-old village, founded in 1258 and forgotten since the 1960s, reopens the debate about the future of Portuguese rural heritage. Whether as a tourism project or private investment, Póvoa Dão re-emerges as a symbol of the potential and challenges of recovering the authenticity of the country’s historic villages.