In Alto Minho, a few kilometres from the Spanish border with the province of Ourense, hidden among rocky ridges above the Alto Lindoso reservoir, sits Lindoso - a Portuguese village of just 1,300 inhabitants and the largest concentration of espigueiros (traditional grain-storage horreos) on the entire Iberian Peninsula. Greater even than those in Galicia and Asturias, the regions usually considered the homeland of this architecture.

The village lies within Peneda-Gerês National Park - Portugal's only true national park. It has a medieval castle from 1258, which served as a key defensive stronghold during the Portuguese War of Independence in the 17th century. Today it is a national monument with accessible ruins - the alcalde's house, the walls, the chapel and the tower still standing.

Espigueiros are tall stone structures with a specific purpose - storing and drying grain. The oldest dates from 1610. Their construction reflects the agricultural transformation of the 17th century, when American maize arrived in Europe and reshaped village life. They have ventilation slits, granite roofs and special rodent guards called tornaratos - details that show people of that era thought in practical, not sentimental, terms.

Around the Alto Lindoso reservoir lies a sad story - when it was built in 1992, five Galician villages were flooded. The lake bed still preserves the memory of those vanished settlements. One of them, Vilarinho das Furnas, has become an informal attraction for divers who want to see a submerged village.

For visitors, there are trails between 6.46 and 10.45 kilometres through the park. The Porta de Lindoso visitor centre provides information about the cross-border Gerês-Xurés biosphere reserve. Nearby lies Soajo with its 24 horreos - another witness to the same tradition. For a Balkan traveller accustomed to Ohrid and Prespa, this combination of nature, history and quiet will feel familiar - but it has its own distinct character.