A Nobleman's Estate Revived in the Capital of Romanticism

Nestled among the dense forests and winding pathways of Sintra, Portugal, a historic manor bearing the marks of early 19th-century aristocratic culture has been reborn through the language of contemporary architecture. Designed by the Portuguese firm António Costa Lima Arquitectos, the Princess Farm — known locally as Quinta da Princesa — spans 1,900 square meters and was completed in 2025.

Built When a Myth Was Being Born

According to the architects, the house was constructed during the early decades of the 1800s, at the very moment Sintra's myth was beginning to take shape. As noble and upper-bourgeois residences proliferated along the newly settled wooded slopes and walled pathways, Sintra was becoming the capital of European Romanticism.

Lead architect António Costa Lima headed a project team that included Hugo Lopes Martins, André Pinto da Cunha, Luís Cardiga Santos, Pavel Rosales, Teresa Cândido, and Bernardo Lino. Landscape design was handled by TOPIARIS, while MC Lighting Projects oversaw the lighting design. EJR Construções served as the general contractor, with P2S providing civil engineering and ENESCOORD managing the project.

Sintra's Long History of Conservation and Renewal

Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995, is home to layered centuries of architecture — from Moorish battlements to the Pena Palace. It was a magnet for 19th-century Romantic landscape design, where European royalty and nobility competed to build estates that reimagined nature and history. Quinta da Princesa is a direct product of that era.

Today, adaptive reuse projects within Sintra must balance heritage preservation with modern habitability — a challenge this project addresses as a notable example in contemporary Portuguese architecture.

A Space Captured Through the Lens

The completed building was documented by photographer Francisco Nogueira, whose images show the estate retaining its historical character while achieving a refined, contemporary sensibility. Italian brand Gessi supplied fixtures for select interior spaces.