From Curia to Maria

Not just Maria Vilhena as a business and a brand, but also Maria Vilhena as a person. Although not born and raised here, my grandparents were from Curia. For those of you who do not know Curia, it’s a small village in the Anadia area, famous for its thermal waters that made it very famous until the end of the first half of the 20th century. From there on, its demand slowly shimmered, leaving the village and its beautiful art nouveau hotels almost abandoned. But Curia’s history begins way earlier, since it was the place where the ancient romans bathed in those same thermal waters. That’s why Curia’s name comes from its roman ancestor: Aqua Curiva (water that heals).

For me, it’s the place where I grew up – at least, part of my childhood was here. My grandparents were from Curia. Not just as inhabitants, but they also took part of the hotel and thermal waters business. For me, more than a business, it was something magical. Because of the hotel buildings and overall aura of the village. Although tourism has slowed down in the 60s, in the early 80s it still had some demand, with fully functional hotels and its thermal waters, casino, movie theater, tea house and many natural parks to wander around. It was glamorous, to say the least.

My grandmother was the link that connected all those things to me and my sister. We had an unofficial ritual of spending every weekend at my grandparents’ home. Granny was one of a kind. And she was always with us, since my grandpa was busy with the hotel. I’ll never forget our afternoon snacks, with her homemade marmalade that we ate at the Curia natural park, in our own special bench (it was always the same). And there was a little street with a tiny street market where we’d go all the time, our little tradition, to buy ornamentals. After that, we’d go to Latas, a little coffee shop near the street market. And, of course, we couldn’t skip the Palace Hotel animal farm. I was like a ride on a carrousel that I couldn’t get enough.

These are the memories that, to this day, never go away. So, it was only natural that, years later, when I started as a freelancer, I joined a co-work in Curia, more than 10 years ago. It was part of a bigger association that worked for the whole Bairrada region, focusing in entrepreneurism to fuel business among its inhabitants. In that co-work, a new Maria was born: Maria Vilhena, the company. So, like every story, Maria Vilhena has it’s begging in a place that fueled not only the business side, but also many fond memories made me what I am as a person and professional.

Memories that live on, not only in distant stories, but also new projects. Like the new model floor that we’re designing for J Paiva, part of new building that will take part of a new era for Curia. Although forgotten for a few years, recently it began rising again, with a renewed demand for housing and tourism. Fortunately, the old meets the new, since many of the forgotten hotels are still there. Some are already being recovered; others may soon have the same fate. And with new people aiming to live there, there is new life on the way. One that will ultimately blend with the places that kept all these memories alive, on that same park bench where we used to take our afternoon snacks.

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