Meet Maria, a woman whose connection to the past and deep emotional connection to the stories she tells make her not just a guide, but a storyteller who transports us back in time.

Maria's tours are not mere recitations of historical facts. She constructs a tapestry of emotions, seamlessly blending her own experiences and the experiences of those who have lived in the places she shows.

She has a caring nature that draws people in, making them feel as if they are being welcomed into her own home. Something you can see in the tender episode she describes to us."

(By Tânia Monteiro, Team Leader of Maria João Santos, Regular Tours Department)

Moments of Reconciliation in the Douro Valley

In the hustle and bustle of the modern world, where lives unfold at frenetic  paces  and  connections  often  seem  superficial,  we  are occasionally reminded of the powerful capacity of love and reconciliation to transform lives. At the heart of a journey through the enchanting landscapes of the Douro, a unique experience revealed how positive energies and the search for harmony can transcend barriers and touch wounded hearts with humanity.

This Living Tours experience was led by Maria João Santos (Tour Expert).

Here's Maria João Santos' testimony:

"The truth is that we are all (or should be) made of good, thin dough and pure love!

It's this beautiful energy, this dynamic feeling of constant duty that should always move us! And that's exactly what I'm here to tell you about today. I'm a tour guide at Living Tours and I work with a fantastic team, diverse, complex, but harmonious in its complexity. In this amalgamation of people there is a lot of love, a lot of beautiful energy flowing and joy... but it's not all a bed of roses, of course! Just like our tours, they are also an amalgamation of people, cultures, religions and emotions that come together for one purpose, for which my colleagues and I are responsible.   to have a happy day! Filled with knowledge, joy and "Good Vibes". But of course, as I've already mentioned, it's not always like this.   there are setbacks, there are grey rainy days, there are people with bad awakenings who find it hard to start the day early, even if it's to do something they like.   and then there are motivations that go far beyond the obvious, when some people decide to do our tours with a clear and well-defined objective... TO RECONCILE!

But then? What are we talking about here? As I say, anything is possible on our tours... and yes, this subject is serious and beautiful at the same time! Let's go...

Some time ago, even before the high summer season, with the traditional arrival of emigrants coming to enjoy their family holidays, I had the opportunity to welcome a large family from South Africa, originally from Madeira, on a Douro tour. Beautiful, humble people with open hearts. The Patriarch, stern, with his moustache looking at me from round the corner, perhaps wondering how he was going to have the patience to put up with me for a whole day... the Mum, a sweetheart! A delightful smile, one of those ladies you want to hug, looking after everyone... always attentive to her chicks... she had two sons and their wives with her and a bunch of grandchildren, we're talking about a really big family... between them they took up half the bus... right there, when I welcomed them, I felt that there was something different about that lady...

Well, the day was going happily until, at the Adega Cooperativa de Favaios, where we had lunch, I had the chance to interact more with the matriarch... who came up to me, afraid, and said: - Maria, thank you! I can't tell you how important this trip is for us... and she told me briefly what had brought them here... Then I realised how sombre her father looked, which soon turned into a discreet smile, always suspicious...