Comporta

Comporta, also known as the Comporta Coast (Portuguese: Costa da Comporta),[1] is a region in the northwestern coast of the Alentejo, in Portugal, south of the Lisbon metropolitan area. Comporta is one of the most exclusive summer destinations in Europe,[2] which has earned the region the nickname as "the Hamptons of Europe".[3][4][5][6] The region, which takes its name from the village of Comporta, spans the coastal areas of the Alentejan municipalities of Alcácer do Sal and Grândola.[3]

This article is about the coastal region in Portugal's Alentejo. For the village within the region, see Comporta (village).
Comporta
Costa da Comporta
Region of the Alentejo Coast
CountryPortugal
DistrictSetúbal District
Municipalities

Comporta has become a notable design center and home to a community of famous designers and artists,[7] including fashion designer Christian Louboutin, architect Philippe Stark, designer Pierre Yovanovitch, painter Jason Martin, amongst others.[8] Comporta is associated with its so-called "Comporta Style" (Estilo Comporta in Portuguese), the local architectural and design style characterized by traditional Alentejan architecture, Bohemianism, and contemporary, ecological design.[6]

History
Comporta style buildings in the village of Carvalhal.

The history of the region of Comporta is intimately linked to the history of the Herdade da Comporta ("Estate of Comporta" in English), a massive agricultural estate formally constituted in 1836, with origins in the 12th century, which originally consisted of the majority of the land and villages in the modern region of Comporta, made up of the coastal areas of the Alcácer do Sal and Grândola municipalities.[9][10] The area has traditionally been home to salt works, fishing communities, and rice fields.

In 1991, after more than 150 years of operating as a purely agricultural estate, famous for its rice production, the Herdade da Comporta was reconstituted to develop its vast properties into an exclusive summer destination-oriented towards ultra high-net-worth individuals, centered on design and sustainability, while continuing to operate as an agricultural estate and as steward to the large swathes of protected natural land owned and managed by the Herdade.[9][10]

Initially, the Herdade attracted high-net-worth personalities to the area through personal connections with the Espírito Santo banking family, which owned the Herdade. During this time, the Espírito Santo family invited high profile celebrities as guests such as Prince Albert of Monaco and Princess Caroline of Hanover.[4]

Following the collapse of the Banco Espírito Santo in 2014, courts ordered that the Espírito Santo family put the Herdade up for sale. In 2019, Paula Amorim, heiress to Portugal's largest fortune, concluded the purchase of the controlling share of the Herdade.[11]

Geography
Quinta da Comporta.
Praia do Pego.

Comporta is located on the northwestern coast of the Alentejo, about an hour south of Lisbon. The majority of land in the region is protected from development as a nature preserve,[2] while a significant portion is protected for traditional agricultural uses, such as rice fields and salt ponds. Restrictive development regulations were installed purposefully by the Herdade da Comporta and the municipal governments to both preserve the natural landscape of the region and ensure its exclusivity.

The region of Comporta is located within 3 freguesias (civil parishes) within the Alentejan municipalities of Alcácer do Sal and Grândola: Comporta, Carvalhal, and Melides. The following towns and villages are located within the region:

Beaches
  • Praia da Comporta
  • Praia do Carvalhal
  • Praia do Pego
  • Praia dos Brejos
  • Praia da Raposa
  • Praia do Pinheirinho
  • Praia da Galé

Culture
The Cais Palafítico in Carrasqueira.

The development of the region by the Herdade da Comporta into a high-end destination in the 1990s, under the leadership of the Espírito Santo banking family,[2] intentionally sought to attract notable artists, designers, and celebrities to the area, with the aim of building an exclusive artistic community for the jet-set.[12] Notable artists and designers that reside in the region include fashion designer Christian Louboutin,[8] architect Philippe Starck,[6][8] painter Jason Martin,[6] and art curator Marc-Olivier Wahler,[8] among others.[3][13]

Comporta hosted an edition of the Wings for Life World Run in 2014.

Christian Louboutin shot his 2013 collection at the Cais Palafítico in Carrasqueira.[14]

British painter Jason Martin established two art studios in Comporta in 2018, one in the village of Melides and the other in the middle of a natural reserve within the Herdade da Comporta.[15]

Comporta style

The Comporta style, sometimes known as "Hippie Chic",[6] is a local architectural and design style, developed by various architects and designers since the 1990s. The style is heavily influenced by traditional vernacular architecture of the Alentejo, ecological design, and regional arts and artisanry.[8][12] Typical motifs include thatched roofing, straw plaiting, and Arraiolos rugs.

Notable residents
Aerial view of the Comporta Coast.
Stone pines in Comporta.

See also

References
  1. Laura Latham (20 August 2019). Developers Eye Portugal's Comporta Coast as New Ibiza. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. Felipe Sánchez (18 August 2020). Comporta, el escondite de moda de los famosos este verano [Comporta, the Fashionable Getaway of the Famous This Summer]. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. Ann Abel (5 June 2017). The Next Great Beach Destination: Comporta in Portugal. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. Eric Lipton (28 August 2019). A Portugal of Pristine Beaches, Tiny Villages and Little Else. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. E.V. (16 August 2016). Comporta, el paraíso portugués que seduce a la 'jet set' española [Comporta, the Portuguese Paradise that Seduces the Spanish "Jet Set"]. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. Nancy A. Ruhling (8 December 2018). Comporta, a Portuguese Village Where the Well-Heeled Go for Some Privacy. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. Laurie Werner (31 July 2019). The Alentejo Is The New Region To Go To In Portugal. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. Gisela Williams (13 August 2018). How One Laid-Back Portuguese Beach Town Became an Unexpected Playground for Architecture's Elite. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. "História". Herdade da Comporta (in Portuguese).
  10. António Vasconcelos Moreira (29 July 2018). Comporta: Viagem a uma Herdade com Oito Séculos de História [Comporta: A Trip to an Herdade with Eight Centuries of History]. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. António Vasconcelos Moreira (14 November 2019). Paula Amorim e Claude Berda concluem compra da Herdade da Comporta. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  12. Audrey Levy (8 June 2018). Comporta : le Paradis Caché de la Jet-Set [Comporta: The Hidden Paradise of the Jet-Set]. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  13. Bruno Astuto (6 May 2018). Comporta: o balneário português mais frequentado pelo jet set internacional [Comporta: the Seaside Resort Most Frequented by the International Jet Set]. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  14. Paula Brito (14 March 2013). Louboutin Fotografou Colecção Primavera/Verão 2013 na Comporta [Louboutin Shoots Spring/Summer 2013 Collection in Comporta]. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  15. Malaika Byng (14 December 2016). "How I work: artist Jason Martin". The Spaces (in Portuguese).
  16. Nancy A. Ruhling (8 December 2018). "Monica Bellucci Compra Casa em Lisboa" [Monica Bellucci Buys a House in Lisbon]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Lisbon.
  17. Staff (19 August 2009). Carla Bruni e Sarkozy Compram Casa em Portugal [Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy Buy a House in Portugal]. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  18. Juan Fernández (20 July 2019). Comporta: los Hamptons portugueses de moda entre la jet [Comporta: the Portuguese Hamptons Trending Amongst the Jet Set]. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  19. Cândida Santos Silva (19 August 2010). Diana de Cadaval: "Gosto que me chamem princesa" [Diana de Cadaval: "I Like it When They Call Me Princess"]. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2020. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  20. Dana Thomas (10 July 2017). Step Inside Noemi Marone Cinzano's Villa in Portugal. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  21. Inês Rapazote (13 June 2018). "O 'Príncipe Jardineiro' que Deixou Paris por Amor à Comporta" [The Gardener Prince Who Left Paris for Love in Comporta]. Visão (in Portuguese). Lisbon.
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