Ana Carlota de Mendoca Rolim de Moura Barreto de Sousa Coutinho, Countess of Linhares

What people wore

Women's practical footwear and dress

Women in the Beira Litoral region often went barefoot, carrying clogs or slippers in their hands to put on when entering towns. They would tuck up their skirts with a sash tied around their hips for ease of movement.

Daily life

Small, multipurpose homes with central kitchens

Many popular homes were small, multipurpose spaces where a fireplace in the kitchen served as the central point for cooking, eating, and even sleeping. For the poorest families, dwellings often lacked basic furniture such as beds, relying on chests or arks instead.

Music

Nuns as skilled musicians

Nuns in monasteries were skilled musicians who played instruments like the organ, harpsichord, and harp, and they sometimes commissioned and performed complex concertato music.

At the table

Communal eating in rural families

Families in rural areas often ate together from a single large red clay dish containing vegetables, potatoes, and sometimes fried bacon or sardines.

Getting around

Surprising Mule Travel Hazards

Travelers often rode mules on pack saddles without stirrups, reins, or bits, allowing the animals to follow their own familiar paths between pine trees. Because the animals were trained to recognize taverns, they would often break into a gallop upon spotting one, forcing passengers to crouch to avoid hitting their heads on the door frames.