Barrocal

In the same family for over 200 years, the estate has its heart at the monte, an ancient small farming village, which has been brought carefully back to life as a remarkable hotel of understated luxury, surrounded by ancient holm oaks, olive groves and vineyards. Here, the feeling of being at home is intimately connected with the sense of belonging to the vastness of the land. In Alentejo, farm and landscape soon become your home. José António Uva is the eighth generation of the same family to have lived at So Loureno do Barrocal, and is the lead developer on the estate. Having spent much of his childhood here with his family listening to tales of the thriving estate, José was determined to bring the community back to life in a manner that respected its unique ecology and ancient history. That was his starting point for the development of an ambitious project the rejuvenation of the entire estate as a farm retreat , so that others could feel as at home here as he always was. Inhabited since Neolithic times by sedentary tribes, So Loureno do Barrocal was once the epicentre of the megalithic culture of Central Alentejo. This ancient history lays among the barrocais (the huge outcrops dotting the landscape), which represent some of the most monumental natural features of Alentejo. Visiting the estate is a true voyage through time from the Iron and Bronze Age through the Roman and Moorish occupation to recent times. In the nineteenth-century, it grew to become a thriving small farming village, providing enough livestock, grain, vegetables and wine to sustain up to 50 resident families year-round. With its own workshop rooms, schoolroom and bullring, it was home to a tight-knit community who dwelled there happily for many years.