Pilot House at Ribeira de Santarém

The house is just next to the train station: it is a 30 min ride to Lisbon and 45 min drive to Nazaré. The neighbourhood of Ribeira is a part of the city of Santarém, a district capital, but, due to its location next to the river, below the city on the plateau, it feels like a little village of its own. It is a decaying historical riverside community, listed as a national heritage site. There is a roman bridge from the II century a stone throw away from the house, part of the Santiago paths, and a fountain and remaining of a medieval hospital that used to serve the pilgrims. The river, with a lovely little sand beach, is about 200 m away. There is a little grocery and a restaurant down the street but for proper shopping one has to go up to the beautiful medieval city of Santarém, 15 min walking up the hill or a 4 min drive. Our home is part of a group of 5 hours we bought and are gradually renovating. The original house was from the late XIX century, with the tradicional Portuguese architecture of the time. We kept it untouched from the outside and remained true to the materials and techniques but we updated its typology and highly improved its comfort, having insulated the house with cork, put in new double-glazing wood windows, and installed a solar panels-battery and wood oven heating system that works perfectly year-round. The house is based on a seasonal approach, with rooms for winter and rooms for summer, in order to make the most out of the local climate. It is equipped with a modern kitchen, washing machine, and a workshop for wood working. A dedicated workstation is located in one of the other houses. There are two wonderful gardens, two spacious sun terraces, and a playground for the kids.