A laboratory for heritage experiences, open to all.
In the heart of the Alentejo region , based in a restored, century-old grocery store with its doors open to the street, we have developed a range of activities which we call Spira Lab .
Having all started with the Rota do Fresco Project, from Cultural Tourism to Heritage Education, from traditional techniques geared towards the future to the strong involvement of the entire Community, here, we experience and allow others to experience endless Cultural Heritage.
SPIRA LAB ALMANAC 2026
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Education and traditional techniques
In 2024 and 2025, Spira held three rammed earth workshops in Vila Nova da Baronia, at their home, known as "Casa dos Dez Irmãos" (House of the Ten Brothers). This initiative was dedicated to valuing the know-how of the Alentejo region and preserving this sustainable construction technique. This is a visual and audio record of the different phases of the workshop, from preparing the soil to building the wall, guided by the wisdom of the old rammed earth masters and an architect specializing in rammed earth.
WHAT IS SPIRA LAB?
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It was the repeatedly painted walls of the hermitages, chapels, and churches of the Alentejo region that inspired us, 27 years ago, to create the Fresco Route: we wanted everyone to be able to cross those often-closed doors and marvel at this monumental scenography of color.
Made exclusively from local raw materials – lime, river sand, and natural pigments – the frescoes quickly sparked our curiosity about other aspects of the region's heritage: cork oak forests, marble, local cuisine, cultural practices, and centuries-old traditions.
This unique ensemble revealed a "way of being" characteristic of the Alentejo region: leisurely pace, human scale, sustainability, light, tranquility, and beauty.
Over time, we have brought together all these ways of engaging with Alentejo culture under the same brand: Spira LAB, a laboratory for heritage experiences, open to all.
Here we create, experiment, shuffle and rearrange, promote, care for, welcome and share in depth the heritage, culture, gastronomy, Arts & Crafts and sustainable practices of our territory.