Barristica translates into “art in clay” and at the small store, Aldeia da Terra in Evora the owner has created a whole city. But this is not your average city – this must be the most caricatural village in Portugal. If we were not living in a motorhome I would have bought many figurines here. Enter this fun city with us!

We are sorry to say that Aldeia da Terra is closed or relocated

Aldeia da Terra – The store that plays with clay

It is easy to miss this place if you don’t look inside the store. But if you see what’s inside the store you immediately want to enter this place. There is an entrance fee of two euros and it is well worth paying because you can spend hours inside this store. It is one of our favorite attractions in Evora and there are many things to explore in the city.

And you are bound to meet the owner and the creator of this amazing artwork. Tiago Cabeca is probably sitting by his desk, working on a new great piece. The store in Evora was pretty new when we were there and Tiago told us his story about this place and where he was before he moved into the shop in Evora.

The caricatural city used to be outside of Evora and outside

Before this store/museum opened in Evora it used to be located outside as a sculpture garden in Arraiolos. Some of the artwork is still at the sculpture park but it is not open to the public so unfortunately, you can’t go there. Tiago said that the stuff that we can see inside the store is about half of the whole collection.

When the sculptures were outside they needed a lot of maintenance and there was always a lot of work to keep them nice and fresh. For that reason, he decided to move them to an inside location. And boy are we glad that he did because then we could pass the store and see how much great stuff was in here.

The art of barristica – traditional to Portugal

Barristica is a really old traditional way of working with clay. It started in Portugal and is still a thing today. Some schools still operate to this day – teaching the art of modeling in clay, in the traditional way. Tiago Cabeca and his store Aldeia da Terra have become a cultural project that is classified by the Ministry of Culture. How awesome is that?

All the work is modeled by the artist himself. In some cases, his sister helps out with the painting of the pieces. That by itself is so cool. You know that if you buy something from this store, you are getting an original Tiago Cabeca piece. And the prices are not that bad – you can afford the pieces that are on sale. Don’t forget how much work goes into each piece!

Our visit to the Aldeia da Terra

There was music playing. Music and the beeping sound of a smoke alarm that needs a changing of batteries. All the caricatures that are here are so funny. Some of them are quite daring – like the couple that is having sex from behind and the woman is checking her Facebook. And then there is this woman that is in bed with a man – it is hilarious!

But there are not only people here. You have animals and buildings and everything that you can see in a real-life village. And each piece is very detailed and unique. Make sure that you visit this place and say hello to Tiago. While we were there he was working on a piece about the famous chef and the creator of the restaurant Taberna Tipica Quarta Feira.

Information about Aldeia da Terra

Address: Rua de São Manços 19, 7000-932 Évora, Portugal.
Opening hours: Daily 10.00 – 18.00.