🏔️ The Legend of the Shepherd and the Star

Long before tourist trails and stone villages, people lived off of shepherding, silence and starry skies. It is in this setting that one of the most remarkable legends of Serra da Estrela was born.

A young shepherd, from a remote village, spent his days contemplating the mountain range that appeared on the horizon. Driven by curiosity and a recurring dream — where a star guided him to the top — he decides to abandon everything and follow the call of this light.

The journey is long. He crosses hills and valleys, facing cold, hunger and loneliness. His dog, his only companion, dies along the way. But the shepherd continues, driven by faith, resilience and the desire to discover what lies beyond the mountain.

As an old man, he finally reaches the highest point of the mountain range. There, he builds a small stone hut and finds peace. A king, upon hearing his story, tries to buy the star from him. The shepherd refuses. True wealth, he says, lies in what he has conquered with his heart: the mountain range and its star.

It is said that when he died, the star shone brightly — and the shepherds who lived nearby recognized it. In his memory, the mountain range came to be called Serra da Estrela.

His only wealth was faith, the mountain... and a star

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