It all started in the 1950, when farm workers arriving to work in the Alentejo were housed on the property of cousins Henrique Fernandes and Manuel Louro. A few years later, these workers eventually took their families there and transformed the space into a village called Santa Susana. And so, by chance, the most beautiful village in Alentejo was born. Santa Susana is close to the Alcáçovas stream and the Pego do Altar dam, in the Alcácer do Sal municipality. About 1h30min from Lisbon.
The houses are all alike. They have only one floor and are whitewashed, with a blue bar on the windows and doors. In addition, the villas all have equal chimneys and some of the entry doors have the initials of cousins Henry and Manuel, along with the date they were built.
On average, they are painted every two years by the residents themselves. Even those who are not inhabited are painted by neighbors, who take pride in this model village of the region.
Santa Susana has about 200 inhabitants. The population is very old and it is not even possible for young people in this part of the country to move there. The village is not only isolated, it has no job. And the only movement is during the summer, when tourists visit on the way to Comporta or Carvalhal beach.
It is such a small village that it only has six streets and no trade at all. Whenever residents need to buy something, they have to go to Alcácer do Sal.
In Santa Susana, in the municipality of Alcácer do Sal, time goes by slowly.There are not many monuments that you can visit here. Only the mother church of the 19th century. XVIII, the cruise with the large cross in granite or, already on the way to Évora, the old baroque bridge that, moreover, is submerged.
