An autumn itinerary in Portugal told for two — a historic palacete in Alijó, an old olive mill turned restaurant in Torre de Moncorvo and an olive-oil massage at the Grapple.

The olive groves changed color without warning — yellow edges, olives painted, the silvery-green of the leaves turning with the whims of a wind that is no longer the wind of August.

September arrives in the Trás-os-Montes plateau with a quiet gesture. There is no thunderclap of announcement, no abrupt change in landscape — just a new quality of the light.