Pool of the Week: A Manmade Beach in the Portuguese Countryside - Gardenista
An hour south of Lisbon in the Alentejo province of Portugal, brothers João and Andreia Rodrigues wanted to turn their grandfather’s nearly 1,000-acre property into a peaceful retreat for nature-loving travelers.
The pool deck is made of sand-colored plaster, and the pool’s edge is reminiscent of a shoreline.
The modern pool is set in a field of wildflowers and abuts a grove of cork trees.
Only three structures are on the 1,000-acre estate: the main house, the pool, and a walled garden currently under construction.
The pool’s edge ebbs and flows with movement from swimmers.
At a distance, the square looks like a pond or reflecting pool embedded in the countryside.
The pool is 400 square meters (about 4,300 square feet).
The pool barely rises from the ground; its depth is sunken into the landscape.