Turismo de Habitação
The Manor
On a cobbled granite street in the former council of Senhorim stands Solar de Vilar Seco, an 18th-century noble house at the heart of the Dão wine region.
The Manor was built in the second half of the 18th century by the Ponces family, of Catalan origin, settled in the Beira region in the 17th century. Its founding moment is the 1758 marriage of José António de Araújo Ponces to D. Eufémia Teresa Josefa Pereira Tenreiro de Figueiredo, the first couple to inhabit the house that would become the Solar.
In the 19th century the house gains a palatial dimension. Miguel António Ponces de Carvalho, President of the Council of Senhorim, is granted a coat of arms in 1866, formally fixing the name Ponces de Carvalho. Soon after, Joaquim Augusto Ponces de Carvalho, 1st Count of Vilar Seco, leads, from 1879 onwards, major restoration and extension works: relief stuccoes, ivory-white lacquered doors and gilded carved leaves.
For the full history of the family Ponces de Carvalho and the Count of Vilar Seco, please visit the History page.
Discover the Manor
The Building
An 18th-century noble house of whitewashed walls and granite stonework, where late-baroque meets neoclassical, and contemporary comfort settles in with quiet discretion.
Garden
Two hectares of French gardens, courtyards and centuries-old trees, listed on the Dão Romantic Gardens Route, made for slow walks.
Pool
An outdoor salt-water pool sheltered by centuries-old boxwood and a great walnut tree, a luminous refuge, just for guests.