Dreams of a rural tourism project have been shattered by the economic downturn and the small group of houses tucked away in the Monchique hills is back on the market.
To rebuild, refurbish and bring the buildings of Aldeia do Barbelote up to scratch would cost north of €1 million so the project has been halted and the ‘for sale’ sign has gone up.
Title to the cluster of 13 Algarve style houses, the vast majority of which are in ruins, comes with ten hectares of forest on the west slope of Foia, the highest point in the Algarve.
The intention was to rebuild the houses, maintaining their original characteristics.
One of the owners, José Martins, said that in the 1960s over 100 people lived and worked in the village and that "my grandparents lived here, but year after year more people left as the income from agricultural activity dropped, livelihoods went, and people left to seek better conditions in urban areas."
Despite the exodus, there remains one lone inhabitant, Marcelino Vicente, who at 70 has been promised that he may stay on in his house for as long as he wishes as he already has lived there for over 50 years.
"They let me live here, but I am now willing to leave," said Vincente, pointing to a lack of roads and transport to Monchique as factors against remaining as he can’t afford regular taxis.
The mayor of Monchique, Rui André, is saddened by the neglect of this and other old villages in his region but believes that "some areas may attract investors interested in rebuilding and enhance the villages as tourist attractions."
Rui André added that in the past the council has supported these types of projects “by creating infrastructure and other incentives."
Barbelote is lovely and in a beautiful area with plentiful water and a buyer is hoped for soon.
Further to the west coast lies the rebuilt village of Pedralva which was bought, rebuilt and re-launched as a tourist facility that attracts many foreign travellers.
Pedralva went from 100 to 7 inhabitants but to buy the site was complex as many of the heirs to the 220 properties lived not only in Portugal but in Germany, England and France.
The Barbelote hamlet is able to be bought without any tricky legal footwork by anyone with deep pockets - the owners want €790,000 - a love of the Algarve’s vernacular architecture is a prerequisite.
For a look at the rebuilt Pedralva village, see:
http://www.aldeiadapedralva.com/en/hotel-overview.html
For another village for sale, see Exclusive Algarve Villa's link:
