Artistic programme · Beira Baixa
Festival da Paisagem
A whole UNESCO Geopark becomes the stage.
48 cultural actions across five municipalities of Portugal's interior, promoted by the entity that manages the UNESCO Naturtejo Global Geopark.
Why it matters
The whole territory is the stage.
Monsanto's villagers still throw a pot from the castle walls every May. Penamacor still burns a giant Christmas log, carried in by the whole town. Festival da Paisagem puts these traditions at the centre of its programme, alongside 75 concerts, an original play and international early music courses.
Its lasting legacy is in the landscape: ten walking routes restored and interpreted across the Geopark, open to walkers long after the festival.
The territory
Five municipalities, one Geopark.
The Naturtejo territory sits in the Beira Baixa, near the Spanish border, inside one of the largest classified areas in Portugal. Granite villages like Monsanto, Roman Idanha-a-Velha, the Malcata mountains and the Erges river on the border host the programme.
48 actions · 5 municipalities · 75 concerts · 10 walking routes
The programme
What happens across the year.
Music
75 concerts in five cycles, from sacred music in Lent to Christmas songs sung by senior choirs.
Theatre
Wedding Night, an original play by Marcantonio Del Carlo with Rita Ferraz, on tour across the region and the country.
Learning
International early music courses in Idanha-a-Velha and a cork art residency in Oleiros.
Food
Village festivals, each built on one local product.
Six strands
Six strands, one programme.
Contemporary art in the landscape
Living heritage and memory
Food as culture
Training and research
Community and inclusion
Touring across the five municipalities
Six strands run side by side, from contemporary art in the landscape to food as culture, in village squares, churches, spas and mountain trails. Local communities make the programme with the artists: senior choirs, schools and village associations are co-producers, not audiences.
Access
Open to everyone.
Every action is open to the public and most are free. Village squares, churches, spas and mountain trails are the venues, so the programme goes to people who rarely see live culture. Schools, senior universities and care homes take part, and every anchor event is filmed and photographed.
Legacy
Ten walking routes that stay.
Ten themed routes across the Geopark are being restored and given a common interpretation layer. Among the most striking: the Vultures Route, the Fossils Route at Penha Garcia, the Mines Route, the Erges River Route and the Historic Villages Route. They outlast the festival.
The finale
One closing night, five stages.
The festival ends with simultaneous celebrations in all five municipalities.
Photos: Jules Verne Times Two, Vitor Oliveira, Axel Cotón Gutiérrez, Joaomartinsfotografo, Linob22 ofc, lpmmpessoal, Henrique Carvalho.
Framework
Portugal's Donation Golden Visa (legally, the ARI Cultural route)
Project status
Approved by the Ministry of Culture.
Eligibility
All non-EU citizens.
Donor benefits
Project-specific benefits, shared in donor calls.
The partnership
Who is building Festival da Paisagem.
Promoter
Naturtejo EIM
The intermunicipal company that manages the UNESCO Naturtejo Global Geopark.
Cultural Co-Producer
Cascais Ventures
The leading cultural creation agency in Portugal.
Who we are
Cascais Ventures creates and produces the government-approved cultural projects behind Portugal's Donation Golden Visa: heritage rehabilitation, film and documentary, artistic programmes.