I was born in Lisbon. I am the daughter of a fado, bohemian, gingão father and a beautiful lady from Trás-os-Montes.
I am a mixture of the two. I love urban life, cinema, theatre, music, the university, the great museums, the city scene, but it's in rural life that I find the harmony I need in my life.
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Through the hand of my maternal grandmother, I found ways to know how to make handicrafts that always aroused my curiosity.
The happy moments of my childhood were spent in Cabril. The trips to the mill, the paths taken, the smiles of the people, the smells, the fresh air, the clear water, the simplicity of life, the care of animals... memories that made me return.
 
I am eternally in love with people and places. 
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I graduated in Portuguese and Lusophone Studies from the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa and I have a Master's in Cultural Project Management from the Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid.  
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After a professional career in the performing arts, I changed the course of my life and decided to create a project for everyone.
In 2014 I started Cabril Eco Rural, a project of  sustainable development  and responsible tourism . 
It has been a hard, demanding journey, with challenges after challenges. Moments of disillusionment and frustration and other moments of joy and achievement. life is a carousel
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In 2016, guided by octogenarian masters and masters, I began the work of collecting and sharing Barroso's Traditional Culture. Thanks to this human heritage, it has been possible for me to learn the art and crafts related to the  linen, wool and rye . 

In 2017 I did my first linen cycle and, since then, I have the mission of not allowing the linen to disappear again in Barroso. 
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Since 2019, I have been coordinating the "Carrejadas" project, which brought back the culture of rye in high mountains.
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In February 2020, after several attempts, I returned to producing burel 100% handcrafted and 100% made in Montalegre. Still in 2020 I achieved the status of artisan and the certification of my studio as a craft production unit.
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This has been a long walk, full of rocks on the way, with hard, cold winters and beautiful flowering springs. Anyone who has known me since I was a girl knows that I learned to accept the path and follow the journey. I learned to be robust and gained endurance. I don't say this with vanity, but with the desire to be able to encourage those who read me to follow their hearts.
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To those who accompany me, I am grateful for every tug of the ear, every shoulder and every hand. To those I will meet, I wish a safe journey to Cabril. Here I await you, everyone.
 
Paula Oliveira
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