Bolsa de almendras

In the heart of Guimarães, A Oficina is a shop, an atelier, an art gallery, an artistic co-producer, a sponsor for creative scholarships and an inclusive artistic community. Pretty much a contemporary cultural beacon in one of Portugal’s most iconic and historically rich cities.

If you go inside, you might see master artisans like Sameiro Fernandes or Maria da Conceição Ribeiro sewing a distinctly local embroidery in 21 stitches to reproduce 19th century motifs, using a rigorous palette of exactly six colours (red, blue, beige, gray, white, black).

It is called Bordado de Guimarães (Embroidery of Guimarães) and they are the only two people in the world currently certified to execute this traditional technique that blends rich embroidery and early popular embroidery.

As a keeper of stories, gestures, and time, A Oficina is more than a physical space. Here, heritage and modernity aren’t stored behind a glass storefront; they are lived, touched, and passed from hand to hand.