Mission Statement: to assist the integration of foreign residents living in Spain and this is never more accurate than when you establish yourself as a foreign resident in a new country Being able to quickly familiarise yourself with the culture and customs can help ease the transition during a challenging time This is why Euro Weekly News makes it our mission to provide you with a free news resource in English that covers both regional and national Spanish news – anything that we feel you will benefit from knowing as you integrate into your new community and live your best life in Spain you can forget about translating articles from Spanish into awkward English that probably don’t make much sense Let us be your convenient and essential guide to all things that will likely affect you as a foreign resident living in Spain Lisbon City Council has given the go-ahead for one of the largest real estate developments in Portugal’s history aims to transform the former Fábrica de Gás da Matinha into a vibrant urban hub with housing The redevelopment of the 30-hectare site in Marvila will revitalise an area left abandoned for over 25 years The project also aims to reconnect the city to the Tagus River people-centred district that aligns with Lisbon’s urban regeneration goals with the initial step involving land decontamination VIC Properties has emphasised the development’s commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability embracing the concept of the ‘15-Minute City’ This approach ensures that essential services expressed his pride in the transformative potential of the project He described it as a ‘milestone in regenerating forgotten industrial land’ highlighting its role in improving Lisbon’s urban landscape the Matinha project represents a bold step forward for Lisbon transforming an abandoned industrial site into a thriving and inclusive urban environment Find more news about Portugal Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox Euro Weekly News is the leading English language newspaper in Spain by delivering news with a social conscience we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain The paper prints over 150 news stories a week with many hundreds more on the web – no one else even comes close Our publication has won numerous awards over the last 25 years including Best Free Newspaper of the Year (Premios AEEPP) Company of the Year (Costa del Sol Business Awards) and Collaboration with Foreigners honours (Mijas Town Hall) All of this comes at ZERO cost to our readers All our print and online content always has been and always will be FREE OF CHARGE Download our media pack in either English or Spanish Welcome to IPE Real Assets. This site uses cookies. Read our policy By Branislav Pekic2024-12-20T14:22:00+00:00 One of Portugal’s largest residential-led mixed-use real estate projects has been granted approval The €2 bn project will see Lisbon’s abandoned Matinha gasworks site transformed into a mixed-use development by Portuguese real estate developer VIC Properties The 30-hectare riverfront property will feature approximately 2,000 new homes and extensive green spaces totalling 120,000 m2 located between Parque das Nações and Marvila will reconnect the city to its waterfront and promote a sustainable 15-minute city lifestyle commented: ‘Together with Prata Riverside Village the Matinha project will complete the largest and most impactful urban redevelopment ever carried out by private capital after Expo 1998 in Lisbon We are extremely proud to be the driving force behind the transformation of this prime area of Lisbon delivering almost half of the regeneration of this challenging and forgotten former industrial land and introducing an entire new neighborhood to the city while reconnecting it to the Tagus River.’ The Matinha gasworks project expands on VIC Properties’ six years of revitalising the area including the neighbouring 13-hectare Prata Riverside Village This mostly-completed project (75% finished and due for completion in 2026) adds 830 homes and a River Tagus waterfront park (Parque Ribeirinho Oriente) Copyright © 1997–2025 IPE International Publishers Limited Site powered by Webvision Cloud This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page ShareSaveCommentLifestyleTravelA New Reason To Visit Portugal’s Alentejo Coast: Herdade Da MatinhaByAnn Abel Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights Ann Abel is a Lisbon-based writer covering luxury travel with a soulFollow AuthorOct 25 10:50am EDTShareSaveCommentThis article is more than 3 years old.The entrance to Herdade da Matinha “I don’t want people to come here to enjoy their room,” says Alfredo Moreira da Silva, the owner of the recently expanded Herdade da Matinha. It’s a surprising statement from a hotelier But the important thing is that people come and open their eyes and hearts and ears to the local nature When he started the project back in the 1990s—it opened as a four-room hotel in 1998—the land had been over-farmed and over-grazed The soil recovered and a diverse ecosystem now thrives in their shade There’s a garden that supplies many of the vegetables for the hotel restaurant (And a plan for it to supply even more.) Everything is alive (Moreira da Silva was a key player in the creation of the Rota Vicentina as a tourism project designed in part to support his and other small hotels in the area.) A couple hours’ walk gets you to Ilha do Pessegueiro Porto Covo and some of the country’s loveliest beaches and best surfing spots The centerpiece of Herdade da Matinha is the owner’s house It was the Moreira da Silva family’s private residence “I’ve invited all the world to this home where I raised my kids.” with colorful artworks (many made by Moreira da Silva a fine artist) on every wall and more sofas than I was able to count A remote work area with super-fast wifi was set up for digital nomads who decide that a big dose of nature is what’s needed to get them through this pandemic completed right around the time that covid arrived the hotel has 35 rooms spread over several buildings Another historic building is now known as the old house a red tile roof and a handful of bedrooms with direct pool access The surf lodge has five bedrooms with a big front deck where guests can leave their wetsuits And the family barn has large-format rooms that can accommodate children and a shared lobby with board games A block of rooms in one of the historic buildings adults-only building with its own swimming pool and private lobby and sitting area with some exposed metal parts in the rooms they’re a contrast with the historic buildings The lazy shorthand would be to compare them to shipping containers but Moreira da Silva doesn’t like that at all “Any metal building is quick and efficient to build while using the least money possible.” He points out that the metal panels have less impact on the land and that they’re increasingly being used in construction all over the world but often being camouflaged with plaster and faux-local design “I’m the son of an architect,” says Moreira da Silva That glamour comes in the form of beautiful softly colored paint (non-toxic a plush bed and a vase full of roses (from the garden outside) on the desk Moreira da Silva says the good feeling comes from the absence of plastic (not counting the shampoo and hand sanitizer) And he’s right: It’s easy to rest deeply in the rooms It’s a cliché to say that places are made by their people but the other thing that makes Herdade da Matinha special is its humanity “There are no servants here,” Moreira da Silva is careful to emphasize Guests who come here have the privilege to be served by people who have given their lives to this project.” Nobody has a title; everyone is known by their name Maybe it sounds like utopianism or marketing But there’s something soulful about Moreira da Silva’s “very human project.”  When my companion and I decided to hike a part of the Rota Vicentina I collected the numbers of taxi services to help us get back and it showed a pretty full-on commitment to hospitality And it drove home something else Moreira da Silva said He laid out the etymology of the word enthusiasm The literal meaning is essentially “to breathe with God.” It was a bit of a non-sequitur when he said it to me And I love the idea of a place that’s not about the rooms or the pool The dates displayed for an article provide information on when various publication milestones were reached at the journal that has published the article activities on preceding journals at which the article was previously under consideration are not shown (for instance submission All content on this site: Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. It looks like nothing was found at this location and outdoor activities — from snorkeling to boating — on offer along the way are all locally owned they have built it with the hope that many will come bringing with them their respect for nature and the culture that surrounds and informs it One type of accommodation at Herdade da Matinha. (Photograph by Jeanine Barone)My journey begins two miles from Cercal do Alentejo at the Herdade da Matinha, a rural casa with bold abstract paintings covering almost every surface They’re all the creations of co-owner Alfredo Moreira da Silva then lounge poolside under the blazing noonday sun beside almond and cherry trees The vibe here is as laid back as the Alentejo region itself the trail highlights two of Portugal’s best features: its rural charm and its rugged coastline The aptly named Fisherman’s Trail hugs the shoreline where hikers and bikers encounter deserted beaches and the occasional fishermen perched on cliff tops while the Historical Way sends them through cork oak forests and farmlands interrupted by an occasional village No need to shoulder heavy packs or suffer through extreme distances Trekkers can make arrangements with each inn (or with Casas Brancas directly) to be picked up and dropped off at predetermined spots you can download a GPS data file on your mobile device from the Rota Vicentina website that provides a trail map (it will be augmented with hiking guides in the next few months) (Photograph by Jeanine Barone)I take on the Historical Way first tracing a path the Romans once used to bring iron ore from the mountains to the sea The only people I encounter on this six-mile flat hike are two farmers who make wine from the plump grapes in their tiny vineyard as does a centuries-old fortress built where Roman fortifications once stood After starting in the whitewashed village of Sao Luis I wander past fern-rimmed streams linked to the Torgal River where butterflies dance a bucolic swimming hole where families and couples alike are spending the afternoon sunbathing on the cliffs or swinging into the calm waters using a simple rope After hiking another 15 miles, I rest my weary bones near Odemira at Quinta do Chocalhinho, a place that evokes another era and another part of the world so it’s no surprise that I’m served an Asian-inspired dinner consisting of a vegetable wrap with sweet and sour sauce with a side of coconut rice After dinner I explore the treasures Luis has amassed: a lounge adorned with his grandfather’s furniture and walls festooned with contemporary art from the owner’s own travels A stork sits patiently atop a rocky monolith rising from the sea And that’s just the sort of experience — intimate authentic — Casas Brancas hopes will lure travelers to this unspoiled stretch in Portugal where the land meets the sea Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright © 2015-2025 National Geographic Partners the new development designed by Pritzker Renzo Piano that is being built in Marvila But there are also "many foreigners who seek the capital and who have chosen this place to live" chief operating officer (COO) of VIC Properties in an interview with idealista/news.  It is right on the banks of the Tagus River that this residential complex (which also offers shopping) is being built and 50% of the complex is already built or in the final stages of construction We expect that between 2024 and 2025 the whole development will be finished" he said in the same interview during the Portuguese Real Estate Exhibition (SIL 2021) Prata Riverside Village under construction VIC PropertiesWith average prices of around 6,000 euros per square metre - a figure which Luís Gamboa considers "very competitive" - this luxury condominium near Parque das Nações has attracted many Portuguese families to live there "We have concluded many transactions with Portuguese people in this price range" Within the universe of international clients there are various types of deals being closed at Prata Riverside There are foreign clients who decide only to rent flats And there are others who really come to live who chose Portugal to live and will live in Prata" A mock-up of the Prata Riverside Village complex at SIL 2021 VIC PropertiesBut what makes Prata Riverside the ideal place to live "People will realise in a couple of years that this is a very special project with very different architecture," he explains "I would say that it is the only new project in Lisbon to be born with a unique relationship with the Tagus River and that is in fact a very differentiating element" namely the "garden that exists between the development and the river whether they live there or live elsewhere" The gardens between the complex and the river are a huge attraction VIC PropertiesSoon "the dynamism of the neighbourhood will also start to be more alive the first commercial agreements to occupy the shops in the development have been closed Delta The Coffee House Experience and Riverside Bike Shop were among the first spaces to open And the commercialisation of the remaining shops will continue in the coming months with new openings planned soon - such as the Prata Grocery Store and Riverside Dry Cleaners Prata Riverside Village will offer a total of 600 flats - from studios to four bedroom flats - with areas that can vary between 41 and 400 square metres (m2) It will also offer about 20,000 m2 of commercial space - which will be available on the ground floor of all plots which will be an "authentic riverside village" is not the only one that VIC Properties has in hand in the eastern area of the capital The development offers commercial space as well as residential properties VIC PropertiesThe Matinha project will be a "natural" extension of PrataAlso in the parish of Marvila the Matinha development will be built by VIC Properties This will be a "natural" extension of the Prata Riverside Village and will place more than 2.000 new houses on the Lisbon property market The land was bought from Novo Banco for about 142 million euros the decontamination of the soil is underway The first phase has already been concluded and "we are making the diagnosis of the second phase to be able to start as soon as possible" This new project will connect the Prata Riverside development to the Parque das Nações area and extend this part of the city by about one and a half kilometres "This extension is made not only by the construction of these buildings but also by a very large green area that will constitute an offer that extends Parque das Nações but above all for the people of the parish of Marvila who will now enjoy a space that they did not have spaces that were completely closed to the city and that today are perfectly visitable and will be more and more so in the future" explains the COO of the promoter in the same interview The land where the Matinha project is to be built VIC PropertiesThe Matinha project is "a natural extension of what we are already doing in Prata and this is where we want to be in the next few years in the city of Lisbon" who hopes to soon have the green light to go ahead with the development another development that is in the portfolio of VIC Properties The project was acquired in March 2020 from Novo Banco for about €80 million The idea is to invest €450 million in relaunching the complex which envisaged the construction of a hotel "We are at this stage developing the architectural projects" for Pinheirinho and have already "done some work to recover the golf course," Luís Gamboa advanced in the interview very soon we will also announce some news regarding Pinheirinho" Branded Residences: Portugal is the European country with the most projects in the pipeline The phenomenon of Branded Residences is “in rapid growth” in Portugal Executive Director of the Portuguese Association of Residential Tourism and Resorts (APR) The Savills Global Residential Development Consultancy study Branded Residences: Portugal Snapshot 2025 concluding that Portugal is the European country with the most projects in the pipeline for the next five years: by 2031 the country will have over 1,200 branded resi Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon We help you navigate a myriad of possibilities Sign up for our newsletter for the best of the city By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush) Our newsletter hand-delivers the best bits to your inbox Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Lisbon but the new pearl of the neighborhood is recent: the luxury Tem-plate store a showcase of brands that are arriving in Portugal for the first time The futuristic gallery aspect poses the challenge for the project created by Robby Vekemans and Rune Park who brought catwalk fashion to the eastern side of the city with a minimalist and almost industrial aesthetic and the charriots hang pieces from brands such as Acne Comme des Garçons or Maison Margiela Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! facebookinstagramAbout us Contact us