Explore Portugal’s historic hilltop hamlets in a free electric hire car

A project offering free car rental is revitalising the medieval villages north-east of Lisbon by finally making them easily accessible to visitorsTwisting along roads flanked by cherry trees, granite boulders, vines and wildflower-flecked pastures, I wind down the windows and breathe in the pure air of Portugal’s remote, historic Beira Interior region. The motor is silent, the playlist is birdsong and occasional bleating sheep; all is serene. “This is easier,” I say to myself w