It’s difficult to overstate what a spectacular job Diogo Batalha and his wife Ana Partidário have done transforming Aldeia da Mata Pequena, a tourism masterpiece in the Mafra countryside about 30 miles northeast of Lisbon. Batalha purchased and restored 13 structures in the centuries-old village, turning them into historically accurate one-, two-, and three-bedroom stone guesthouses. With a keen eye for detail, he made sure that the former wineries, barns, and bakeries retained their original elements. He even turned a stable into a living room, and used massive grape presses and meat-salting boxes as design pieces. The village is now an extraordinary place to escape the city, with prices starting at a reasonable €75 per night in high season (around $93).
