The heart of this wonderfully tranquil and welcoming Trancoso is the ‘Quadrado’ — the square. A rectangular patch of grass, it is lined on its long sides by huge Monkeypod trees and colourful adobe houses which today there are bars, restaurants, full of style inns, craft shops and boutiques of famous brands; and punctuated at its far end by the all-white São João Batista church. It is the meeting place for everyone in town: young, old, rich, poor, singles, families, locals and tourists alike. People gather here to sit, to play, to chat, to eat, to shop or to stroll around the sandy path edging the grass.