History

once home to farmers, and one of the local references of times gone by, it proudly keeps its original name. according to available records the house already existed in the year 1700, that is why the granite, typical of the alto-minho housing construction, is most noticeably timeworn.

“joão enes” was born may the 31st in 1772. he followed his uncle antónio enes do vale’s footsteps who was a judge for the justice of peace in those times. in 1807 he took up the role as the “elected one”, and in 1872 was designated “standing judge”, the highest law enforcement position in the village of afife. his job was to try settle disputes before they went to the courts. usually these roles where given to the most wealthy and respected villagers. 

the house's ownership always belonged to the family. its current owner, 10th generation grandson of the original owners, taking in to account the evolution of the local agriculture, intends to give a new use to this rural patrimony composed by the main house, the outbuildings, and its surroundings, compromising a total of 1.457,00m² (15.683 square feet).

even though the changes in lifestyle and working means along the years are clearly visible, leading long ago to a readaptation of parts of the property's buildings, the characteristics of the area and rural atmosphere have always been respected inside and outside of the existing constructions.

by doing so the intent is to fight the trend of abandonment and decay, that the rural areas have suffered with the changes in peoples' lifestyle, reanimating this space with a touristic usage and with its environmental preservation.

at the casa d' joão enes an assortment of agricultural tools can be found in perfect working conditions and intend to be the museological collection of the estate, keeping alive, as much as possible, the usages and customs of the region. the stone oven, for baking bread or preparing other regional gastronomies (sarrabulho, chiken rice, cozido à portuguesa - the famous portuguese stew, rice pudding, etc), is also a living memory of past times.

there still exists a wine press built in ashlar for the old-style process of treading grapes, a traditional counterweight wine press and several ox carts, thus accomplishing the perpetuation of these ancestral practices through times.