Holiday architecture in Cascais: Casa de São Bernardo and Chalet Ficalho Guided tour
Cascais Town Hall is joining in the celebrations of International Monuments and Sites Day with a special visit to two of the most emblematic buildings of Cascais' summer architecture from the late 19th century: the Casa de São Bernardo and the Chalet Ficalho.
The Casa de São Bernardo was designed by the Count of Arnoso, who called it the ‘Minho house’. This house, built in 1893, introduces the concept of the ‘Portuguese house’ into national architecture, in a simple and unpretentious way, opposing the style of the holiday villas that began under the sign of the exotic and the foreign and which gradually proliferated along the entire coastline. Chalet Ficalho, whose construction was completed in 1898, is clearly influenced by the construction models of mountain chalets in Switzerland and Germany, due to the shape and layout of its steeply pitched gable roofs and the fact that all the elevations are covered in rustic stone.
These are two examples of great architectural and historical importance, and their value is undeniable for understanding holiday architecture in the town of Cascais.
Guided tour by José Proença
Meeting point: Av. Rei Humberto II de Itália, nº 235, in front of Casa de São Bernardo, in Cascais
Walking
Public: Over 10 years old
Registration: HERE
More information: +351 917 260 052 (call the national mobile network) | on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Organisation: Cascais Town Council
