Gilberto Vieira, the notable businessman and owner of Quinta do Martelo, spoke to our newspaper about the latest distinction he has received: He is now among the Top 100 units that combine sustainability and luxury, offering their guests exceptional experiences while preserving and protecting the environment.

It should also be noted that throughout its existence, Quinta do Martelo has been awarded numerous national and international distinctions. “It’s gratifying for the work we’ve been doing for over 35 years to see that all our dedication has resulted, over time, in these multiple regional, national, and international distinctions. Each was a tremendous incentive and confirmation that this dream could become a consolidated reality. With a future, as, fortunately, continues to happen.
For this most recent award, I was contacted without any prior warning that we were among the potential top 100 units in this category, and it was subsequently confirmed that Quinta do Martelo made the top 100 of the units scrutinized. It was another distinction that makes us proud.”

How Quinta do Martelo came about

Now 65, Gilberto Vieira recalled how the idea to create Quinta do Martelo came about. “The idea of creating a space of this nature came to me over forty years ago. At the time, I was working in a travel agency, and I began to notice that the few tourists who visited us asked what there was in Terceira and the Azores that differed from the mainstream of international tourism, where you could experience the reality of our people’s lives. No, nothing was organized as a tourist product or close to it.
I then thought of creating an itinerary with aspects of interest in this sense, but scattered and not always guaranteed, a simple program that referred to stray experiences but authentic and representative of the idiosyncrasy of people who have resisted and learned from so many trials.
It was a contribution, but I was perfectly aware that it was a drop in the ocean of expectations, at the time and in the future, of people truly interested in getting to know new realities, learning and entering into communion with them, as a form of enjoyment and personal enrichment.
I then began to dream about the possibility of using an old family farm, which had its heyday in the Azorean orange economic cycle and had been abandoned for decades. Then came the earthquake of 1980, and I was forced to use and restore a small existing house as my own residence on the abandoned farm. I immediately realized the potential of sharing that large natural space with people eager to enjoy contact with nature and remote experiences.
We started with the gastronomic component and an evolving accommodation project in houses depicting the progression of the Azores’ housing since the settlement. Props and furniture, among other identity elements, are part of this whole wealth of Azorean ethnographic truth.
Due to its location in an environment and, in particular, in a parish that is divided between land and sea – São Mateus – we believe it could be the ideal space to show and bring together the essence of Azorean rural life, which itself is the driving force behind everything that has been achieved, with serious difficulties over the centuries.”

Strong relationship with the land and the sea

Gilberto Vieira has always had a strong relationship with the land and the sea. In fact, “even today,” he does and supervises “the work on the farm” and maintains “the daily habit of going for a swim in the sea throughout the year, and enjoying the various tasks in these two environments. They are sources of life for me,” he says.
Asked how he relates to the living beings on the Quinta, he replies: “First of all, I think that plants are also living beings. But I understand your question. If it’s related to living animals, I can tell you about Jójó, who is 12 years old and is part of our family, who love him very much. Jójó is a donkey of Graciosa origin, who interacts with everyone, from family to visitors, with remarkable friendliness. We also have a special fondness for Catrina, a cow with the same name from Terceira, who is skittish but recognizes those who treat her well. These are two examples, but we have cows, pigs, chickens, sheep, turkeys and ducks on the farm who are friends of the house and who delight our customers”.

Marco Sousa is a journalist for Correio dos Açores – Nartalino Viveiros, director.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.