There is a sense of historical austerity when it comes to living in Melgaço and its territory. A border region with neighboring Spain, but in which both peoples share much more with each other and their daily lives than with their own distant state capitals. Among the mountains and the rigorous weather of this region, there are still several incredibly remote villages, frozen in another generation, until the present with remnants of what was the ancient tradition, and the dedication to the hard work of the land, cultivation and livestock.