About us

Quinta do Xarrama

Quinta do Xarrama has belonged to our family for several generations. It was acquired by my grandfather, who settled in Évora in the 1930s. He had three children, including my mother, and the property was later divided among them. The oldest buildings that form today’s Quinta do Xarrama date back to the 1950s and still preserve distinctive features of traditional Alentejo architecture, such as the vaulted ceilings made from rustic clay bricks.

At that time, the farm was devoted mainly to agriculture and livestock. There were cows that provided milk and mules that helped cultivate the land. Traces of those days can still be seen today: the old feeding trough, carefully restored and now incorporated into the main lounge, and the iron rings where the animals were tied while they drank. These are memories that we have sought to preserve and which help tell the story of this special place.

After spending much of my adult life in Lisbon, where I worked as a primary school teacher, I always held on to the dream of returning to the farm where I was born. When I retired, I decided to restore many of the buildings that had fallen into ruin and transform the property into a rural retreat, at a time when rural tourism was still taking its first steps in Portugal. We opened our doors in 1999 and, despite all the hard work, I carry with me the memories of the countless people from all over the world whom we have welcomed and who have shared this place with us. I was also able to pass my love for this project on to my children and today, at the age of 83, I have handed it over to them. We continue to welcome every guest with the same warmth and care, hoping to make their time with us truly special — and our hearts are always full when we receive their kind words.

Dolores Domingues