our story
The Family behind the Villa.
Discover the legacy of this Villa, and how it was passed through five generations.
How it all started…
Costa de Caparica was the medical advice that let the family that built Maria Tereza for the first time at this beach in 1925. The high levels of sea iodine and other so-called miraculous characteristics wore a huge drawn for those with breathing issues and doctors would prescribe walks in these healing shores.
Healing Shores….
Alberto, sun of Mário and of Maria Tereza was prescribed to come to Costa de Caparica. This would change the course of this Lisbon family. Making journeys from Lisbon by boat jumping in a boat in Belém that headed to Trafaria seems like an easy task. But crossing desert sand lands that led to Costa de Caparica by donkey back in the 20´s was what we call today a true and hard adventure. This did not stop this family from coming to Costa de Caparica, they soon realized that this region was more likely to become a second home.
The dawn of a culture, a family, and a community.
Almost 100 years later and with the family already in the fifth generation, everyone maintains close ties to this land, which in the 1920s was an immense beach, with some thatched fishermen's houses, an agricultural field and two large buildings - the church (built in 1880 and still exists) and a convent (already demolished).
Starting everything from scratch.
Vivenda Maria Tereza was the third house in this neighborhood and was built on a 100 m2 plot (bought for 25 pence a square meter), and it grew at the same pace as the family. Already married to Maria Helena and father of three children, Alberto maintained the tradition of moving with the whole family to Caparica in every summer, even though he returned daily to Lisbon, where he worked. The neighborhood grew, with houses that were mainly for holidays and among neighbors, groups of friends of several generations were formed.
“The days were spent among the beach, sardines, naps, reading, and evenings of conversation.”
— Maria Tereza Sea Villa
Back to that time the meetings on the terrace of Costa Nova, Papo Seco, Lobo do Mar - for the younger generations - or a trip to the Copa Cabana cinema. Meanwhile, Costa de Caparica has undergone profound changes, first with the construction of the first bridge over the River Tagus, which brought Lisbon closer and brought more and more visitors, and later with the 25th of April bridge in 1974.
From that point onwards, there was a demographic explosion that made Costa de Caparica a small residential city, despite continuing to be the biggest and best beach near Lisbon and one of the favorite weekend and summer places for the Portuguese.
