Comporta, also known as the Comporta Coast ( Portuguese: ''Costa da Comporta''), is a region in the northwest coast of the

Alentejo Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo''). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...

, in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, south of the Lisbon metropolitan area. Comporta is one of the most exclusive summer destinations in Europe, which has earned the region the nickname as " the Hamptons of Europe". The region, which takes its name from the village of Comporta, spans the coastal areas of the Alentejan municipalities of

Alcácer do Sal Alcácer do Sal () is a municipality in Portugal, located in Setúbal District. The population in 2011 was 13,046, in an area of 1499.87 km2. History Earliest settlement There has been human settlement in the area for more than 40,000 ye ...

and

Grândola Grândola () is a town (''vila'') and municipality in Setúbal District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 14,826, in an area of 825.94 km2. Included in this municipality is Tróia (part of Carvalhal parish), a peninsula between the At ...

. Comporta has become a notable design center and home to a community of famous designers and artists, including fashion designer Christian Louboutin, architect Philippe Stark, designer

Pierre Yovanovitch Pierre Yovanovitch (born 17 August 1965) is a French interior designer. He was born in Nice. Biography Yovanovitch’s career started in 1990. He worked with Pierre Cardin on the men’s fashion lines of the couture house, first in Brussels t ...

, painter Jason Martin, amongst others. 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 Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people and with few permanent ties. It involves musical, artistic, literary, or spiritual pursuits. In this context, bohemians may be wanderers, a ...

, and contemporary, ecological design.

History

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

and

municipalities. The area has traditionally been home to

salt works A salt evaporation pond is a shallow artificial salt pan designed to extract salts from sea water or other brines. The Salt pans are shallow and large of size because it will be easier for sunlight to travel and reach the sea water. Natural s ...

, fishing communities, and

rice fields A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre-Aust ...

. 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 Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

, 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. Initially, the Herdade attracted high-net-worth personalities to the area through personal connections with the Espírito Santo

banking family Banking families are families which have been involved in banking for multiple generations, in the modern era generally as owners or co-owners of banks, often named for their families. Banking families have been important in the history of ...

, which owned the Herdade. During this time, the Espírito Santo family invited high profile celebrities as guests such as

Prince Albert of Monaco Albert II – Website of the Palace of Monaco (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, since 2005. Albert was born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, and he is the second child and only son of Prince Rai ...

and

Princess Caroline of Hanover Princess Caroline of Monaco (Caroline Louise Marguerite; born 23 January 1957) is, by her marriage to Prince Ernst August of Hanover (born 1954), Prince Ernst August, the List of Hanoverian royal consorts, Princess of Hanover. As the eldest chi ...

. 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 Paula Fernanda Ramos Amorim (born 20 January 1971), is a Portuguese businesswoman, daughter of the businessman Américo Amorim. In 2016, she assumed the presidency of the board of directors of Galp Energia. Biography Amorim was born in Porto o ...

, heiress to Portugal's largest fortune, concluded the purchase of the controlling share of the Herdade.

Geography

Comporta is located on the northwestern coast of the

, about an hour south of

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

. The majority of land in the region is protected from development as a

nature preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

, while a significant portion is protected for traditional agricultural uses, such as

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

and

Comporta Comporta, also known as the Comporta Coast (Portuguese: ''Costa da Comporta''), is a region in the northwest coast of the Alentejo, in Portugal, south of the Lisbon metropolitan area. Comporta is one of the most exclusive summer destinations in E ...

Carvalhal Carvalhal may refer to: * Carvalhal (Abrantes), a civil parish in the municipality of Abrantes * Carvalhal (Barcelos), a civil parish in the municipality of Barcelos * Carvalhal (Mêda), a civil parish in the municipality of Mêda * Carvalhal (gra ...

, and Melides. The following towns and villages are located within the region: * Comporta (village) *Carrasqueira *Possanco *Cambado *Pego *

*Brejos da Carragueira *Torre * Melides *Muda *Pinheirinho *Sesmarias

Beaches

*Praia da Comporta *Praia do Carvalhal *Praia do Pego *Praia dos Brejos *Praia da Raposa *Praia do Pinheirinho *Praia da Galé

Culture

Sunrise @ Cais Palafítifo da Carrasqueira (21854556480)

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

, 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 In journalism, jet set is a term for an international social group of wealthy people who travel the world to participate in social activities unavailable to ordinary people. The term, which replaced "café society", came from the lifestyle of tra ...

. Notable artists and designers that reside in the region include fashion designer Christian Louboutin, architect

Philippe Starck Philippe Starck (; born 18 January 1949) is a French industrial architect and designer known for his wide range of designs, including interior design, architecture, household objects, furniture, boats and other vehicles. Life Starck was born on ...

, painter Jason Martin, and art curator

Marc-Olivier Wahler Marc-Olivier Wahler (born 1964, in Neuchâtel, Switzerland) is a Swiss curator and contemporary art critic and art historian. He is the director of the MAH Musée d’art et d’histoire in Geneva. He is the former director of the Eli and Edythe B ...

, among others. Comporta hosted an edition of the

Wings for Life World Run The Wings for Life World Run is a running competition held on the first weekend of May since 2014 to collect funds for the not-for-profit foundation ''Wings for Life''. The entry fee goes completely to Spinal Cord Research. It became the largest r ...

in 2014. Christian Louboutin shot his 2013 collection at the Cais Palafítico in Carrasqueira. 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.

Comporta style

The Comporta style, sometimes known as "Hippie Chic", 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. Typical motifs include thatched roofing,

straw plaiting Straw plaiting is a method of manufacturing textiles by braiding straw and the industry that surrounds the craft of producing these straw manufactures. Straw is plaited to produce products including straw hats and ornaments, and the process is ...

, and

Arraiolos rug An Arraiolos rug, Arraiolos tapestry, Arraiolos carpet or Portuguese needlework rug (in Portuguese, ''Tapete de Arraiolos'') is an embroidered wool rug made traditionally in the small town of Arraiolos, Portugal, since the Middle Ages.Fleming, John ...

Notable residents

* Christian Louboutin, French fashion designer *

Monica Bellucci Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (; born 30 September 1964) is an Italian actress and model. She began her career as a fashion model, modelling for Dolce & Gabbana and Dior, before making a transition to Italian films and later American and French ...

, Italian actress and model *

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

, former

President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...

* Carla Bruni, Italian-French supermodel and singer * Andrea Casiraghi, member of the Royal Family of Monaco * Charlotte Casiraghi, member of the Royal Family of Monaco *

, French architect * Princess Diana de Cadaval, Portuguese princess and author *

Noemi Marone Cinzano Countess Noemi Marone Cinzano (born 1957) is an Italian businessperson. A wine personality, she is known for owning many well established vineyards and Cinzano Glass. Her flagship wine is considered to be Noemía de Patagonia. Biography Cinzano ...

, Italian countess &

Cinzano Cinzano () is an Italian brand of vermouth, a brand owned since 1999 by Gruppo Campari. History Cinzano vermouths date back to 1757 and the Turin herbal shop of two brothers, Giovanni Giacomo and Carlo Stefano Cinzano, who created a new "vermo ...

heiress *

, Swiss art curator *

Jacques Grange Jacques Grange, born in 1944, is a French interior designer. Biography After completing his training at the École Boulle and the École Camondo, Grange made a career as a decorator in France and abroad from the 1970s. His main customers includ ...

, French interior designer * Albina du Boisrouvray, French countess and

Patiño Patiño or Patino is a surname of Hispanic origin. The name refers to: From Bolivia *Simón Iturri Patiño (1862–1947), Bolivian tycoon (industrialist and mine owner) ranked among the five richest men in the world *Antenor Patiño (1896–1982), ...

heiress *

, French designer * Jason Martin, British painter * Prince Louis Albert de Broglie, French prince and environmentalist *

Manuel Aires Mateus Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manu ...

, Portuguese architect

References

{{reflist

Seaside resorts in Portugal Tourist attractions in Portugal Coasts of Europe