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The village of Água Formosa is indicated as one of the oldest in the municipality of Vila de Rei.



The population that settled in Água Formosa has always had an abundance of water in its

greater wealth. The fountain that gives the village its name is just a few meters from the center and has

meeting place for many generations.



The village is at the confluence of two water lines. In fact the fact that the entire base

rocky village made it possible to build stone houses with great resistance, but at the same time

time forced villagers to divert water beneath streets and houses as drainage

it is not done naturally. He also forced walls to be built on top of the rock to

contain fertile land that was brought in to make gardens near the houses.



Another important detail of this village is the existence of threshing floors for community use

for drying various cereals and legumes (grain and beans). These were left on top of the

rock turned to the sun that continued to release heat during the night.



Another aspect of community practice in the village is the use of ovens and the sharing of water

wells, mines and dams with well-established rules, which in the summer forced families to

having to water also at night.



The water



The Ribeira da Galega that crosses the village has become the real engine of agriculture in

people's livelihood. It allowed that throughout its course they were raised and cultivated

countless vegetable gardens. For this, great shale walls were made to contain the force of the water

and at the same time conquer more land, using the land that was brought from the forests

around for growing vegetables and cereals.



The water of the Ribeira da Galega was being dammed and carried through ditches, sometimes carved

on the rock, contributing to water gardens and moving watermills, where the cereals were ground for

make cornmeal, rye, wheat and barley.



To the north of Água Formosa there is a stick mill - Lagar de Água Alta, and to the south the Lagar da

Rusty already renovated in 1953 for the hydraulic press system.



Numerous weirs can be seen along the Ribeira course: small dams that bear the name

of Poço. There are Poço da Lontra, Poço Caçador, Poço do Lagar, among others. They had

as a function to raise the water level to lead it further, while creating

a small reservoir that served as a water deposit in summer. At the same time the effect

cascade excavated another important deposit that served for irrigation, laundry and

baths. A few hundred meters away are also water mines dug in the

slopes.

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