One of the more romantic features of the Red Chalet is a story that connects it to the church it faces across the square.
The picturesque “Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes” earned its name from a long history serving as the church of a fishing community. For hundreds of years the men of the village would set out to face the perils of the sea, some would return, others would not.
Wives and daughters would gather in the church square to sing prayers asking for the safe return of husbands and fathers, raising their voices to echo around the cobbled streets of the square.
A secret door in the Red Chalet opens to a hidden staircase that winds up to rooftop terrace where, many, many years ago, the original owner of the villa would sit and listen as the townsfolk sang their songs, songs of the sea, songs dedicated to the brave fishermen of Armação de Pêra.
