The property, on the market for just under €10 million, had everything the American luxury real estate broker could want for his television series, Passport Properties. The show is currently airing on Casa e Cozinha and has been picked up for a second season. Set in the hills, it felt almost as though he were standing among the treetops. Inside, the rooms were suddenly too dark to continue filming as planned.

The homeowner’s first reaction was frustration with his own electrics. After spending millions restoring the property, how could the power fail now?

Then they discovered the problem extended far beyond the palace.

Watch the full interview here 👇👇👇


Nationwide blackout

Portugal was experiencing a widespread blackout that reached across the entire Iberian Peninsula, and Nash’s carefully organised filming day had just taken an unexpected turn.

“We kept the cameras rolling,” he says.

With charged batteries and time on their hands, the crew headed towards the coast. Their planned restaurant stop was closed. Traffic lights were out, and messages were arriving with conflicting accounts of what was happening.

Nash turned instead to John, his driver and companion during the trip.

“I want to hear your story,” he told him.

John was nervous about being fitted with a microphone, but the conversation that followed, about growing up in Lisbon, became part of the Portugal episode. A day meant to showcase extraordinary homes had given Nash an opportunity to spend more time with someone who had helped him navigate the country.

Later, back in Lisbon, his wife bought candles. They opened wine, played music through a speaker at the window and watched people dance.

Downstairs, a pizza business with propane tanks was still cooking. Nash remembers a queue stretching along the street and the owner serving customers for hours, until the dough ran out.

“He’s the only one in Portugal that hopes there’s another blackout,” he jokes.

The interruption suited a series built around encounters that cannot always be planned. Nash had enjoyed making property television before, but became frustrated with the direction some programmes were taking: manufactured arguments, extravagant appearances and deals seemingly completed in minutes.

“I wanted to tell the real stories about real estate, real properties,” he says.

For Nash, those stories begin with questions that extend beyond a home’s asking price. Where did the handmade details come from? Where would someone living here go for breakfast? What is the history?

Passport Properties

He spent 22 years working as an adviser on Wall Street before moving into Florida real estate. He describes both careers in terms of relationships, getting to know people and understanding what they want from their lives.

That interest carries into Passport Properties, where a house tells a bit of history and the daily life of its surroundings.

Portugal first caught his attention almost by accident. Returning from filming elsewhere, he and his wife had an overnight layover in Lisbon. When their onward flight was delayed, he decided to stay.

“I looked at my wife, and I said, ‘I’m not leaving.’”

They remained for another week, exploring Lisbon, Sintra and Cascais. By the time he left, he knew he wanted to return with the cameras.

The resulting episode includes historic properties and contemporary homes, with particular attention to the craftsmanship and the older architecture he found here.

Nash knows most viewers will never buy the houses he visits. Some are beyond his own reach, too.

“I’m dreaming right along with you,” he says.

The blackout gave the Portugal episode something an impressive property alone couldn’t supply: an unplanned adventure, memories and a neighbourhood discovering ways to enjoy the evening, along with a pizza maker who kept the pizzas coming.

The palace was still there when the electricity returned. By then, Nash had another story to tell.

Set The Portugal News as your preferred source for news on Google

GoogleAdd as a preferred source on Google