All that really matters is simple and within reach of the truest wills. For example, genuine family cooking. Or visiting friends and rediscovering traditional hospitality. Or getting down to pleasant work and learning ancient skills. Portugal is made of all this, well protected from the artificiality of modern velocities, a place where the idea of life with a low environmental impact is more often the rule than the exception. Step right in, then!

Even in cosmopolitan Lisbon, packed with sophisticated restaurants and incredible hotels, there are ways to soak up local life and flavors like in no other place in Europe. Here’s an idea full of surprises and comfort: join an expert-led tour of one of the city’s many old quarters, to get to know its ancient history and the people who live there. Then, finish the tour with an even more intimate trip: a meal in a Portuguese home. Yes, a private home. A traditional menu made right there, with carefully chosen wines and a fantastic, chatty cook.

This journey can continue across the sea. It’s time to learn about the culture of the Azores. Now, enter a truly Atlantic cooking class. It takes place in the cozy atmosphere of an island family. The fresh produce, from the land and the sea, is right next door, and you’ll use it, guided by expert hands, and enjoy it among new friends.

Yet, there’s more knowledge to discover. In the deep Alentejo, that region of sun and plains south of Lisbon, the secrets of ancestral craftsmanship are preserved. Portugal has a long tradition of pottery, which maintains the purest principles of folk art. That’s what this experience is all about: venture into a traditional pottery masterclass – make your own piece, remake your personal world.

Sustainability is, first and foremost, getting back to the real thing.