THE ALENTEJO VILLAS CONCEPT
HISTORY, NATURE AND DECORATIVE ARTS: A DIFFERENT KIND OF TOURISM
Historic towns embody the identity of a territory and its population.
Located in the heart of a historical town, Alentejo Villas by SIÈCLE represents a new kind of proximity tourism, where the past and history open up the discovery of new experiences and sensations.
Through its historical importance, its well-preserved nature and the quality of its gastronomy, the town of Crato, with its surrounding countryside, is the ideal site to receive this project. The small size of the urban centre allows its visitors to interact with the local population and to enjoy the best the Alentejo has to offer: somewhere to recharge your batteries, surrounded by peace, nature and a pure atmosphere.
The particular and distinctive way of experiencing Time in the Alentejo makes us realize that, after all, it may be one of our most prized possessions.
In order that visitors should attain full enjoyment of the essence of all this, Marisa Osório Farinha has patiently restored and redecorated The House of the Birds – so that they may partake of this powerful historical heritage in the authentic atmosphere of local culture, while enjoying, at the same time, the unique character of a maison d’auteur, a house where creation and tradition come together.
MARISA OSORIO FARINHA
From the arts of the table in paris to the villas d’auteur in the Alentejo
Co-founder and artistic director of the brand SIÈCLE Paris for the past thirty years, Marisa has developed a universe centred on the art of hospitality and love for the decorative arts, for the handmade and for the handicraft of excellence.
In 1995, after having received the first prize in the European competition Art sur Table, with her “Vague” cutlery, Marisa was also chosen as best creator of the year. It was the beginning of a fifteen-year period of fertile collaboration with Hermès, in the field of embroidery, and with other similarly prestigious houses. Two years later, Marisa discovered and adapted to modern taste the technique of arte povera, fixing cut-outs from old engravings on wooden supports or under glass. For that exceptional savoir-faire, with creations entirely made by hand, SIÈCLE was rewarded, in 2008, with the label “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant”, given by the French State to firms of excellence.
Marisa is presently developing the concept Alentejo Villas by SIÈCLE, of which the House of the Birds constitutes the first element.
To receive her guests in an environment punctuated by her own creations, while at the same time providing them with the opportunity of getting to know this region of the Alto Alentejo, where she spent such beautiful moments in her childhood, is today her greatest ambition.
