Architects:Diogo Mega Architects

Area:5597ft²

Year:2021

Photographs:Francisco Nogueira

Lead Architect:Diogo Mega

Client:Benedita Branco

Engineering:André Martins

Landscaping:Silvina Maria

Decoration:Ana Trancoso

Construção:SousaA & Novais

Country:Portugal

Text description provided by the architects. This new luxury holiday home on Pico Island is housed in a restored former distillery from which it takes its name. Given a new lease of life by the project’s creator, Benedita Branco, it has 6 rooms, a dining room, a pool with an incredible view of Portugal’s highest peak and is located in the area of Cabrito, in the Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture - Azores, a UNESCO classified site since 2004.

YESTERDAY, A DISTILLERY...The distillery’s origins are still shrouded in mystery. According to the accounts of the former owners, what is known is that it was built by a priest around 1820.

NOWADAYS, A HOTEL.Adega do Fogo works like a 5-star holiday house that can be used by families or groups of friends who want to enjoy the property as a whole.

The decorative elements invite you to contemplate and to travel in time with customised furniture made of chestnut wood. The restored ceiling beams, stone window surrounds and wooden floor give the space unique characteristics that revive its legacy. The white walls with their black stone indents from the original building are reminders of its DNA and the history of the old distillery – and the place to which it belongs.

Externally, the aim was the same. Different areas have been designed for different moments to allow the property to be enjoyed at different times of the day: from the pool with a view of Pico to the table under the trees beside the wood-fired oven and the lounge area under the roofing at the side of the kitchen with a view of the gardens and fig trees growing between volcanic rocks.

The furniture in the various outdoor areas is also simple. Made of wood, the emphasis is placed on comfort and the view they provide. Everywhere there are plants brought back to life by Silvina Maria, Branco’s mother, who saved them from various places on the island where they were at risk and gave them a new home.

WHAT IS IT?A holiday home built in a former distillery on a 4,500m2 property. The building, which is estimated to be 200 years old, has been restored along with its traditions, offering a journey through the history, flavours and customs of the island.6 rooms1 distillery1 dining room1 infinity pool1 sauna1 wood-fired oven with a barbecue pitIn-room and outdoor massage service (the latter with a view of Pico)

WHERE IS IT?On the island of Pico in Lugar do Cabrito (in the parish of Santa Luzia, municipality of São Roque do Pico), squeezed between the Atlantic on one side and the imposing Pico mountain on the other. The coastal settlement of Cabrito is located on the coast of the parish of Santa Luzia in the municipality of São Roque do Pico. It is part of the Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture, classified by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site in 2004.

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Project location

Address:Cabrito, Pico Island Vineyard Culture Landscape, Azores, Portugal