Loulé offers free certified course in handmade ourelo shoe production

Loulé Criativo and the CEARTE training centre are running a free, certified 50-hour course on making the sapato de ourelo, a traditional Algarve shoe woven from fabric strips around a wooden last. Master shoemaker Fernando Gonçalves leads it between 29 October and 21 November at Palácio Gama Lobo, with evening and Saturday sessions. Anyone aged 18 or over can join, employed or not. Organisers fear the craft could vanish as experienced artisans dwindle, and hope to bring in new audiences and fresh ideas. Registration is by email.