In a personal capacity, I, Frederic Coustols

"In a personal capacity, I, Frederic Coustols, believe that a more humane economy can enrich the gentle rises and falls of the Alentejo landscape reminiscent of the Quattrocento. This place provides the perfect context to experience the grace of time. Using this concept, Calmness can drive innovation—a holistic vision for abundance and beauty for fulfilment."

Frederic Coustols

The true experience of post-growth values requires care for the place, for each of us, and for the community. Such care is sparked and enriched by the understanding that the experience of art contributes to the emerging paradigm shift. It is a very old dream—to study, in a concrete setting, how to transition from an economy of goods to a Human Economy.

Three independent factors led to the creation of this project:

The first, and perhaps the most delicate, was recognising that travelling the world was no longer a priority. The world is, in fact, on our doorstep but has become harder to access because the challenge is to get closer to it, to better understand this world that has drawn nearer. Portugal is, in itself, a world and, at the same time, unknown to the world. To truly know Portugal, we must sit, listen, feel, and give ourselves time to discover it. The vision itself takes shape. While the framework may be common, it becomes immensely varied when we allow time to unfold.
The second is linked to the discovery—thanks to a dear friend—of the Torrão parish, an endless, ageless story of eccentric and serene men and women: attentive, cultured, and living within the veins of slowness. Connected to their land and traditions, it is truly a magical place where history feels as though it can be reimagined and amplified. We found this and so much more—a joy of existence within the silence of its extraordinarily beautiful landscapes. We also encountered a powerful and immutable architecture, some of which deserves to be preserved.
The third involves a team of men and women from diverse backgrounds—artists, intellectuals, tutors, farmers, and investors—ready to embark on a slow adventure, far from the paths worn by the frenzy of speed and quick money. A vision perfectly suited to the 21st century.

I am recognised as a “collector of landscapes.” In March 2022, I passed through Torrão for the first time. A friend living in Alentejo had called to tell me they had found a dream location. Arriving from the neighbouring montado, crossing the bridge at the entrance to S. Romão, and ascending to the village centre, I finally encountered the monumental, bare façade of the Convent of N. Sra. da Graça. Its tower is a living memory of a distant past, paradoxically brought close by the serenity radiated by the village’s architecture. Places speak. It is for us to listen.

My wife, Maria Mendonça, an artist with family ties to the village, and I have already collected landscapes in Mato Grosso, Brazil; Jiu-Xian, China; Rostov, Russia; Firmarcon/Castelneau, France; and the Palácio Belmonte in Lisbon—a remarkable venture that brought an unprecedented dimension to the concept of local accommodation. Across all these projects, a passion for nature, care for the landscape, the careful application of constructive ethics, and the incorporation of art’s dimension have enhanced each location, making it unique, special, and, above all, an integrative experience of humanity and social life.