The Great Eleven by W G P

The great eleven

Embracing Memory

This palace, located in Reguengos de Monsaraz, close to some of the region’s most fabulous spots, has always been part of the estate of the city’s renowned family linked to the smoking meat industry.

The dignity and natural beauty, combined with the spaciousness and infinite possibilities that this residence offers led us to share all the ideas and embrace this place.

Various rooms and bedrooms currently enable one’s to reinforce their “needs in terms of living, working, exhibiting, among others.” This place is perfectly suited to retreats. For groups, art events and exhibitions. Influenced by the wisdom and skill of the various generations who have always been associated with the industry and the house, much of the furniture we can currently appreciate is already part of the residence.

"Personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures."

Scott Fitzgerald

É V O R A

Heading east towards the Spanish border, through countryside as unpopulated and as little messed about with as any in Europe.

The thinner the traffic and the emptier the landscape, the greater the sense of relief that seeps into one's stress-tightened muscles.

Welcome to the Alentejo, a region that occupies more than a third of Portugal’s surface area, despite being home to just seven per cent of the population.

“It is very easy to love alone.” Gertrude stein

During the first century BC, the Romans established a seat of power in the region and called their settlement Ebora Liberalitas Julia.

The city continued to enjoy a measure of importance until the 18th century, when it began to sink into provincial obscurity.

But if its monuments and its streets of historic houses fell into desuetude, most of them were eventually restored, and Evora fully deserves the UNESCO World Heritage status conferred upon it in 1986.

“Don't bother about being modern. Unfortunately it is the one thing that, whatever you do, you cannot avoid.”

Salvador dalí

Reguengos De Monsaraz

If you're going to the medieval town of Monsaraz,on a hilltop above the reservoir, you might stop for lunch on the way at Herdade do Esporão. This 1,800-hectare private estate, owned by the Roquete family, was established in 1267 after the conquest of the Moors.

Thereafter, armed with the Wine Route map, you could take to the road, for a vinous safari taking in producers such as Cartuxa - on a historic estate run as a philanthropic enterprise by the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation - Quinta do Carmo and Monte dos Coelheiros.

“Don’t wait for inspiration. It comes while one is working.”

Henry Matisse

The beauty of the landscapes along the shores of the Alqueva reservoir (the largest in western Europe) pairs well with the area’s culinary offerings.

During the summer many fruits and vegetables are at their peak and it is also when honey is bottled and cork is extracted. You can discover all of Alentejo’s surprises on the region.

Captivated by the landscape, the savanna-like aspect of fields with just a few sculptural trees silhouetted against the intensely blue sky, the rolling hills covered with beautifully twisted cork oaks, make for Monsaraz the place to watch the sun go down over the reservoir before heading back home.

“In order to write about life first you must live it.” Ernest Emingway

In recent years, the Alentejo has captured the world’s attention—an agricultural region that people like to compare to Tuscany, with dusty wide-open landscapes under epic skies that some have likened to African savannas.

It’s also rich in history, and home to some of Portugal’s best wines and gastronomy.

An interior/exterior architectural property that conceives exceptional spaces. Using the codes of the classic that puts a passion at the service of the most demanding private homes.

During its heyday, it represented luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress.

A former palace in Évora with 764m2, is like sleeping in a museum, thanks to the priceless artwork stationed throughout the grounds.