Portugal without doubt has its share of quaint towns and villages, but Sintra in my opinion is undeniably one of the most unique and picturesque. Sintra is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the country and for good reason. Sintra is home to a number of castles, palaces, and historical fortifications nestled atop the Sintra Mountains representing the best of Moorish design, Romanticist architecture, and Neo-Islamic styles. And with its lovely mountains, misty forests, and exotic gardens Sintra is like a place created by the gods.
Sintra sprawls around the lower end of the Sintra Mountains (Serra de Sintra), a small mountain range in western Portugal. Sintra with its beautiful and historic village has been designated a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE.
And if that wasn’t enough, It was also necessary to create a special category for the purpose of CULTURAL LANDSCAPE taking into account Sintra’s natural riches as well as the historic buildings in the town and mountains. Endowed with luxuriant vegetation, the mountains are part of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park.
Referred to as a storybook and fairy tale town, Sintra is a treasure trove of fascinating, mysterious, and enchanting sights which all add to its reputation as Portugal’s town of Romanticism. Filled with palaces and manor estates that were once inhabited by Portugal’s royalty and aristocracy, it is a feast for the eyes and an exciting destination to explore.
Sintra once served as the residence for many of Portugal’s royalty and aristocrats and it is not difficult to understand why. From early times Sintra was the the place of choice for the settlement of various peoples who have passed through the Iberian Peninsula and left traces of their presence many of which are now displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Odrinhas in the outskirts of the town.
In the 19th century Sintra became the first center of European Romantic architecture. Ferdinand II turned a ruined monastery into a castle where this new sensitivity was displayed in the use of Gothic, Egyptian, Moorish and Renaissance elements and in the creation of a park including local and exotic species of trees. Other fine dwellings, built along the same lines in the surrounding Serra (Sierra) created a unique combination of parks and gardens which influenced the development of landscape architecture throughout Europe.
Sintra definitely captivated me during our stay and I was enthralled with its natural beauty and the fantastic palaces and historical sites. I would not hesitate to return to Sintra for more exploring and until then, I look forward to sharing Sintra in this blog posting. Here are a few examples of why Sintra seems to be straight out of a story book and why I found it so alluring:
THE PALACE OF SINTRA
The Palace of Sintra (also referred to as the Town Palace) is the oldest palace in Sintra and there is no royal medieval residence in a better state of preservation in Portugal. Royalty lived here off and on from the 1400’s to the 1700’s and each successive occupant added a bit of their own personality. King Manuel I of Portugal was responsible for a lot of the interior decoration covering the walls with eye-catching ceramic tiles from Seville, Spain.
The Palace of Sintra in Portugal has been inhabited more or less continuously from the early 15th century to the late 19th century. The palace has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also a Culture Landscape Site.
THE PALACE OF REGALEIRA
The 20th century Quinta da Regaleira (the Palace of Regaleira) is a Gothic architectural masterpiece that served as the private residence to many owners including the Viscountess of Regaleira (a merchant family from northern Portugal). The Regaleira Palace bears the same name as the entire estate which includes amazing gardens. The Palace of Regaleira is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO within the "Cultural Landscape of Sintra."
In 1892 the Palace of Regaleira was sold to António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro, a wealthy Portuguese emigrant from Brazil, who added his own personal touch reflecting his fascination with the Masons, the Knights Templar, and Divination. The structure's facade is characterized by exuberant Gothic pinnacles, gargoyles, capitals, and an impressive octagonal tower. Underground there’s a system of tunnels, grottoes, and deep shafts leading down to a sanctum for tarot ceremonies. Sr. Carvalho appears to have been one interesting and unique dude!
I found he images of previous kings in one of the halls of the Palace of Regaleira especially unique.
CASTLE OF THE MORROS
Perched on one of Sintra’s northernmost peaks are the ruins of the Castle of the Moors, a mighty medieval castle built by the Moors in the 8th and 9th centuries. The castle was constructed as a military outpost on top of a mountainous cliff where it has a spectacular panoramic view of the municipality of Sintra. It was then later enlarged by the Christians after their reconquest of the Iberian peninsula in 1147. The castle consists of a double line of military walls which meander over the granite terrain of the promontory.
The walls have four square towers and snake with the contours of the mountain at the top of a sheer cliff. The views from the castle over the peaks, bluffs and rocky spurs, out to the Atlantic and over to Sintra are absolutely stunning. Its place on the hilltop, surrounded by and including the natural and exotic vegetation, accentuates the romantic character of the place. The Castle of the Moors is classified as a National Monument, part of the Sintra Cultural Landscape, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Castle of the Moors was definitely my favorite of the many wonderful sites in Sintra.
Exploring the Castle of the Moors was definitely my idea of a wonderful time!
PENA PALACE
Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the 1990’s, Pena Palace was built at the order of King Ferdinand II in 1838 on the lofty ruins of an old monastery. It was built as a summer residence and has amazing stucco work and trompe l’oeil painting inside with views that are incredible. The ostentatious architecture and elevated setting is similar to the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, but Pena Palace is actually a couple of decades older. As was the fashion at the time, the palace combines many historical styles from Moorish to Renaissance.
Located in the Sintra hills, the Palace of Pena and Park are the fruit of King Ferdinand II’s creative genius and the greatest expression of 19th century romanticism in Portugal which definitely reflects clear influences from the Manueline and Moorish styles of architecture. The palace was built in such a way as to be visible from any point in the park which consists of a forest and luxuriant gardens with over five hundred different species of trees originating from the four corners of the earth. Wow!
A nice little cozy space at the Pena Palace for some quiet time with no television!
CITY HALL OF SINTRA
Although not a castle or a palace I believe the City Hall of Sintra deserves recognition in its own right since I found it a beautiful structure.
I loved Sintra with its natural beauty, culture, and people. The following link will magically take you to my photograph album of Sintra which includes captions. Until next time, enjoy your travels wherever they may take you and I look forward to seeing you again in the near future. Laura
And in closing some wonderful words to live by from Sintra:
Wow, you covered a LOT of territory. I had no idea Sintra existed or that it had so many idyllic places. Many thanks from Bryce Canyon, Utah. - Guillermo y Katrina
ReplyDeleteSix cities, three in Spain and thee in Portugal, in five weeks made for a perfect introduction to this amazing part of Europe. Thank you for commenting.
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