Ruins of Pai Calvo Village

To the south of Marmelal there are ruins of schist houses, dwellings and wine presses: these are the ruins of Pai Calvo. There was once a farm here (Quinta de Paicalvo), also known as "Eiras de Pay Calvo". Occupation of the site probably dates back to the mid-17th century, when Douro wines began to be successfully exported and viticulture in the Douro began to expand. The history of this place is therefore linked to the history of vine growing in the Douro. In the 18th century, Pai Calvo was a prominent place in the Douro wine-growing structure. In the Pombaline demarcations of 1757, Quinta de Pai Calvo was included in the "zona probable de feitoria", the second best classification after Feitoria. Today, the place is abandoned and in ruins. The desertification of Pai Calvo was due to the phylloxera plague that devastated the Douro and caused a "turning of the page" in the region's history.