Casa Da C, Portugal

Casa Da C is an abandoned palatial villa in Portugal, built in the early 20th Century by a successful Portuguese businessman. The most beautiful room, the one that I spent the lion’s share of the time photographing, is the dining room. The ornate stucco ceiling features gold-painted floral motifs, as well as those featuring animals and exotic fruit. From the central rose hangs a chandelier. Painted murals decorate the walls, featuring a variety of scenes and landmarks from Brazil. Avenues lined with palm trees, a flowing fountain, ruined castles, a lake with pink ibis and banana trees. The most eye-catching part of the room is the bold stripe floor, crafted with wood imported from Brazil.

I explored Casa Da C during my Portugal 2022 Tour.

History of Casa Da C

This story begins in a rural Portuguese town, in the latter half of the 19th Century. A young boy, barely a teenager, decided that the life of a farmer was not for him. He left his family home, and boarded a ship to Brazil. These are the first bold steps that would change his life. When he landed on the other side of the Atlantic, he soon found work as an apprentice in commerce. A few short years later, while still a teenager, he set up his own company which grew exponentially in a short time.

He returned to Portugal at the turn of the 20th Century, wealthy and ready to settle down in his home country. Not just his home country, this was a true return to his roots. He purchased the land next to his parents’ house, right in his home village. Immediately he commissioned construction of Casa Da C to serve as his home. His new grand house was connected to his parents home; a beautiful symbol of just how much he loved his family.

The beautiful Casa Da C also served as backdrop for his philanthropic efforts, he hosted his receptions and some fundraising drives here. He never forgot his humble beginnings, and devoted much of his fortune to creating schools to enrich the lives of girls and boys from poor families. Additionally, all were welcome in his grand home no matter their social class. From politicians and intellectuals, to the most underprivileged and impoverished.

The Brazil Link – Mass Portuguese Emigration of the late 19th & early 20th Century

During the late 19th and early 20th Century, more than a million Portuguese left their home country and crossed the Atlantic. Pushed by low agricultural wages and rising costs of living in Portugal, and seduced by the promise of fortunes to be made in the growing economy centres of Brazil. For many of the emigrants this gamble paid off, they return to Portugal and brought their new wealth with them. It wasn’t just financial gain they brought back. Their time abroad and new found wealth had changed them, they were no longer farmers. Their horizons were broadened and they now had a taste for the finer things in life. Correspondingly, those returning to Portugal soon built beautiful large houses or even palaces (such as this one).