The mood : Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal

Staying close to the border feels exciting to me. Even if in Europe there is not so much drama surrounding them, I’m still inspired by the mystery of the two cultures hesitating between juxtaposition and superposition. They feel like places of opportunity and transition, yet sometimes have that quiet air, as if they where lying in wait, patiently observing that mesmerizing “other side”.

Vila Real de Santo Antonio is literally the last Portuguese village before Spain, which begins on the other side of the Rio Guadiana.

The small town has a surprisingly straight street plan along with what you could call “accidental modernism”. The emptiness, the pastel colors, the occasional pop of marble and the traces of traditional Portuguese architecture make for a very inspiring setting. That other-worldy look sounds pretty right for a frontier town, no?

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Other surprises involving modernism in Portugal this way.
The town also have a slightly more historic center whose tired charms may trigger an alternative photo series…
These pictures were taken with a Sigma dp2 Quattro.

 

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