Saddler

At the age of 12 Carlos Almeida had to opt for an art. It was the beginning of the 70’s and in Torre de D. Chama there were 6 albardeiros. It was with one of them that he learned to cut and sew leather, to give it the shape the market requested: saddles, saddles, bridles, collars, mills… what the animals asked for in their daily work.

With mechanization, the number of animals used in the work dropped drastically, as did the demand for products from a saddler. But Carlos Almeida resisted and from his hands saddles and saddles continue to be born, distinctive pieces that convey the precision of the cut.

Today he is the last Albardeiro in Torre de D Chama, and in the entire region. For this reason, he says, his work is also in demand and goes all over the country, even to the Algarve.

Being with him, listening to him recount his experience, seeing the mastery with which his hands handle the half moon or the awl, learning from him, is a privilege and is possible, with the experiences of the Saber Fazer Route.