Since 2019, Rio de Janeiro architect Maurício Nóbrega had been wondering if the purchase and renovation of a century-old house in Portugal had been the result of an adventurous impulse. The decision came on the return from a trip to Morocco, when he and his wife, psychologist Cecília Nóbrega, stopped in Lisbon and ended up visiting one of the villages in the town of Azeitão, 40 minutes from the Portuguese capital, located next to the Serra da Arrábida.
A couple of friends who lived in the area proposed the visit and the couple fell in love with the place. During an afternoon sitting in the local square, with cheeses and wines from the region, the idea arose to look for a vacation home in the locality. The couple's search followed a journey compared by the article to experiences like those portrayed in the books "A Year in Provence" and "Under the Tuscan Sun".
The property found was a ruin that had gone through various transformations over time: it was part of a farm, then it was divided to house a school and, later, it operated as a barbershop. The complete process, including the purchase and renovation work, lasted about a year.
Maurício Nóbrega was responsible for the transformation project of the old ruin into a family retreat, creating a space that combines the charm of the century-old construction with the modern needs of the family.
