Comporta, also known as the Comporta Coast (Portuguese: Costa da Comporta), is a region in the northwest coast of the Alentejo, in Portugal, south of the Lisbon metropolitan area. Comporta is one of the most exclusive summer destinations in Europe, which has earned the region the nickname as "the Hamptons of Europe". The region, which takes its name from the village of Comporta, spans the coastal areas of the Alentejan municipalities of Alcácer do Sal and Grândola. Comporta has become a notable design center and home to a community of famous designers and artists, including fashion designer Christian Louboutin, architect Philippe Stark, designer Pierre Yovanovitch, painter Jason Martin, amongst others. Comporta is associated with its so-called "Comporta Style" (Estilo Comporta in Portuguese), the local architectural and design style characterized by traditional Alentejan architecture, Bohemianism, and contemporary, ecological design. History The history of the region of Comporta is intimately linked to the history of the Herdade da Comporta ("Estate of Comporta" in English), a massive agricultural estate formally constituted in 1836, with origins in the 12th century, which originally consisted of the majority of the land and villages in the modern region of Comporta, made up of the coastal areas of the Alcácer do Sal and Grândola municipalities. The area has traditionally been home to salt works, fishing communities, and rice fields. In 1991, after more than 150 years of operating as a purely agricultural estate, famous for its rice production, the Herdade da Comporta was reconstituted to develop its vast properties into an exclusive summer destination-oriented towards ultra high-net-worth individuals, centered on design and sustainability, while continuing to operate as an agricultural estate and as steward to the large swathes of protected natural land owned and managed by the Herdade. Initially, the Herdade attracted high-net-worth personalities to the area through personal connections with the Espírito Santo banking family, which owned the Herdade. During this time, the Espírito Santo family invited high profile celebrities as guests such as Prince Albert of Monaco and Princess Caroline of Hanover. Following the collapse of the Banco Espírito Santo in 2014, courts ordered that the Espírito Santo family put the Herdade up for sale. In 2019, Paula Amorim, heiress to Portugal's largest fortune, concluded the purchase of the controlling share of the Herdade. Geography Comporta is located on the northwestern coast of the Alentejo, about an hour south of Lisbon. The majority of land in