For centuries, handmade cowbells have been part of pastoral life in Portugal, their distinctive sounds helping shepherds identify and keep track of their animals across open landscapes. Each bell is individually forged and tuned by ear, creating a craft in which metalwork and sound are inseparable. Today, fewer than five artisans remain.

This episode enters the workshops where cowbells are still shaped, forged and tuned by hand, discovering the skill and precision behind their distinctive sounds. The journey then moves into the countryside, where shepherds reveal how different bells and tones become a form of communication between people, animals and landscape.

From the making of the bell to the sounds that have long filled the Portuguese countryside, the episode explores a craft rooted in pastoral life, accumulated knowledge and place. As handmade production declines, the episode follows those working to keep this distinctive
acoustic tradition alive.