Hospitality Photography
Óbidos, Portugal ·2026
Photographing the Pousada Castelo de Óbidos meant, for me, walking through more than eight centuries of history with the camera in hand. Set inside the medieval castle of Óbidos — one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal — and the first historic pousada in the country to open its doors, back in 1951, this is a property where every stone carries memory. I devoted myself to capturing the dialogue between the 14th-century walls, the battlemented towers and the contemporary comfort that now lives within.
I sought to reveal the soul of this intimate pousada, with only seventeen rooms divided between the original castle and the adjoining manor house. I photographed the vaulted ceilings, the canopy beds, the exposed stonework and the rich fabrics dressing each space, always mindful of the natural light filtering through centuries-old openings. I wanted every image to convey the rare feeling of sleeping inside a living fortress, with the walled village stretching out beyond.
I completed the series with the gastronomy and the panoramas that crown the experience: carefully plated dishes served against the landscape of the Oeste region, and framings of the fortress itself at dusk, when the stone turns golden. It was a project in which I aimed to honour the historic weight of the place without losing its warm hospitality — and I hope these photographs invite those who see them to climb up to Óbidos and lose themselves among its walls.