A holiday at the Bom Sucesso resort, nestled in the picturesque landscape of the Costa da Prata on the shores of the Óbidos coastal lagoon, offers not only the pleasure of a Dolce Vita slowly flowing through luxurious villas, golf courses and exclusive restaurants, but also the intellectual gratification of finding oneself in a “showcase” of contemporary auteur architecture.

Departing from the widespread model of the tourist village with vernacular allusions, the resort is home to works by internationally renowned architects (from David Chipperfield to Gonçalo Byrne, from Manuel Aires Mateus, to Eduardo Souto Moura and Álvaro Siza Vieira), who were asked to propose their idea of a holiday “buen retiro”: villas designed according to the different architects' own vocabulary, but which nevertheless follow the common thread of a respectful interaction with the context, thanks to single-storey volumes with green roofs and the extensive use of natural materials.

Among these architectural “gems,” the villa designed by Álvaro Siza stands out, now offered for sale by Architecture de Collection, the first real estate agency dedicated to showcasing significant 20th- and 21st-century architecture (a treat for lovers of Portuguese light and connoisseurs of materiality), for €1,200,000.

The building, with a surface area of 220 square metres, spread over a single level and surrounded by a large private garden, has the typical characteristics of the Portuguese master's expressive language: a simple and clear layout and essential, immaculate volumes, broken up by large windows and marked projections and recesses declaring the functional areas to the outside and creating dramatic chiaroscuro plays.

Inside, a fluid articulation of spaces marks the stages of daily life: the generous living area with a lounge with fireplace and dining room, the separate kitchen and four bedrooms with private bathrooms. Warm, natural materials (such as the wood flooring and stone fireplace) create a lively contrast with the white shell, which dilutes the perception of the space's dimensions.

Outside, domestic life expands languidly into the large private garden with a swimming pool clad in local stone, (perhaps) relegating Saudade to other times and places.

Opening image:All images courtesy © Architecture de Collection