Comporta, also known as the Comporta Coast (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

: ''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 Sovereign state, country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southern Europe, Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes ...

, south of the

Lisbon metropolitan area The Lisbon Metropolitan Area ( pt, Área Metropolitana de Lisboa; abbreviated as AML) is a metropolitan area in Portugal centered on Lisbon, the capital and largest city of the country. The metropolitan area, covering 18 municipalities is the l ...

. Comporta is one of the most exclusive summer destinations in Europe, which has earned the region the nickname as "

the Hamptons The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one of ...

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 Christian Louboutin (; born 7 January 1963) is a French fashion designer whose high-end stiletto footwear incorporates shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. Initially a freelance designer for fashion houses, he started his ...

, architect

Philippe Stark 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 ...

, designer Pierre Yovanovitch, painter Jason Martin, amongst others. Comporta is associated with its so-called "Comporta Style" (''Estilo Comporta'' in

), 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 Ecological design or ecodesign is an approach to designing products and services that gives special consideration to the environmental impacts of a product over its entire lifecycle. Sim Van der Ryn and Stuart Cowan define it as "any form of d ...

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 sal ...

, 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 individual Ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI) are defined as having a net worth of at least US$30 million in constant 2018 dollars. It is the wealth segment above very-high-net-worth individuals (greater than $5 million) and high-net-worth-individ ...

s, 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 livin ...

, 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 Espírito Santo (, , ; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist att ...

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. Following the collapse of the

Banco Espírito Santo Banco Espírito Santo (BES) was a Portuguese bank based in Lisbon that on 4 August 2014 was split in two banks: Novo Banco, which kept its healthy operations, and a "bad bank" to keep its toxic assets. It once was the second-largest listed Port ...

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.

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. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

. 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 ''

freguesia ''Freguesia'' (), usually translated as "parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former Por ...

s'' (civil parishes) within the Alentejan municipalities of

and

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

banking family, 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. Notable artists and designers that reside in the region include fashion designer

, 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 ...

in 2014.

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 Vernacular architecture is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. This category encompasses a wide range and variety of building types, with differing methods of construction, from around the world, bo ...

of the Alentejo,

, 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 u ...

, and Arraiolos rugs.

Notable residents

, 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 f ...

, 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-Sei ...

, 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 is ...

Carla Bruni Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

, Italian-French supermodel and singer *

Andrea Casiraghi Andrea Albert Pierre Casiraghi (born 8 June 1984) is the elder son of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and her second husband Stefano Casiraghi. He is the eldest grandchild of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and American actress Grace Kelly. Casir ...

, member of the Royal Family of Monaco *

Charlotte Casiraghi Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi (born 3 August 1986) is a Monégasque model, socialite, writer, editor, equestrian, journalist, film producer, and humanitarian. She is the second child and only daughter of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and ...

, member of the Royal Family of Monaco *

, French architect * Princess Diana de Cadaval, Portuguese princess and author * Noemi Marone 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 "verm ...

heiress *

, Swiss art curator * Jacques Grange, French interior designer *

Albina du Boisrouvray Countess Albina du Boisrouvray (born 1941) is a former journalist and film producer who has become a global philanthropist and social entrepreneur working with AIDS victims and impoverished communities around the world. She is the founder of FX ...

, French countess and Patiño heiress * Pierre Yovanovitch, French designer * Jason Martin, British painter * Prince Louis Albert de Broglie, French prince and environmentalist * Manuel Aires Mateus, Portuguese architect

References

{{reflist Comporta Seaside resorts in Portugal Tourist attractions in Portugal Coasts of Europe