Maria Correia Gato, a former seamstress, swapped life in the Lisbon region for the city of Serpa, in the Alentejo, after retiring. She had lived in Rio de Mouro while her husband worked, and the couple later decided to return to the Alentejo for their retirement, seeking the companionship with family and acquaintances that they did not have with the neighbors in their Rio de Mouro apartment. "The people and the companionship we have, it's all different," she told Sábado magazine.
The connection to Serpa lies in the presence of family and people she has known since childhood, something Maria values at this stage of life, along with the tranquility of the countryside air. Regarding culture, she acknowledges that Lisbon has a wider range of offerings, but prefers "the activities they do in Serpa" and the context in which she participates in them, because "in Lisbon you lose the sense of community."
The move did not, however, eliminate the need to return to the capital. Difficulties in accessing medical care lead Maria to travel to Lisbon for appointments, despite preferring to stay in Serpa. In her daily life, the former seamstress spends her time doing crochet and taking care of the house, but medical follow-up continues to require regular trips.
Sociologist César Morais identified access to medical, social, and cultural services as a difficulty for retirees living in rural areas, noting that many services are concentrated in major cities and that distance from urban centers may involve "an idea of exclusion from citizenship itself." Maria, however, presents an experience of belonging based on family contacts, friendships, and local activities.
