Located about 15 miles from Lisbon, Sintra is a mountain resort town known for its many palaces, castles, parks and gardens. More than one well-heeled person has gone there to indulge their architectural fantasies. A town full of Hearst Castles, eh? Warned that it gets quite busy we got off to an early start with Julio Arrecis of Ó Turista Tours.
Our first stop was at Quinta da Regaleira with its exterior with its ornate Gothic architecture exterior. Built by António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro (aka Monteiro the Millionaire) and designed by Italian architect Luigi Manini this property certainly gives Hearst Castle a run for its money. There is a palace and chapel, built in the Romantic style with Manueline architecture elements, surrounded by a park that features lakes, grottoes, tunnels, wells, benches and fountains. It must been a crazy thing to build. António’s initials are carved in many places plus a lot of references to the Knights Templar on the property. What drew us to this particular estate were the Initiation Wells (essentially inverted towers) on the property. The largest is about 90 feet tall with 9 landings. There are two possible answers to why nine:
- There were nine founding Knights of the Knights Templar in 1119.
- There are nine levels of Hell from Dante’s Inferno (Good book BTW)
It was one of the more interesting places we have ever visited.
We headed next to the National Palace of Pena created by King consort Ferdinand II. On the way Julio mentioned there were two ways to get there, the palace is surrounded by a large park as well, we could walk through it, or we could drive close and take a shorter walk. We opted for the walk, which we enjoyed, but all I can say is due to the elevation rise we got several leg days in. There were many paths winding through beautiful groves and ponds.
King Consort Ferdinand II was born Prince Ferdinand in Vienna and married Queen Maria II of Portugal. Since she was the ruler of Portugal Ferdinand was known as a King Consort which I think suited him fine. Known as “The King-artist” and having wealth of his own he could indulge in artistic endeavors as he saw fit including pottery and painting. He was taken by a monastery high in the Sintra hills that was in ruins due to lightning strikes and the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake. Ferdinand bought the ruins and a lot of the surrounding lands (that became the park we walked though) and created Pena Palace which would become the summer residence for the Portuguese royal family. Also built in the Romantic style, Ferdinand ensured Islamic and Medieval elements were prominent giving the palace a unique look. It is good to be the King (Consort).
After all the walking Kim and I were spent. Our guide Julio was fine, he does this every day, and offered to make a stop for lunch which we turned down for some rest. Julio was great, full of live and stories. If you need a guide reach out to him via Ó Turista Tours. Julio is also going to be a father for the first time in March 2027, he will be a great dad and we wish him and his family all the best in their busy future.
After a few hours rest we headed across the street to restaurant Pinóquio which was recommended by the hotel staff. Looked a bit touristic we were taken inside where the atmosphere was much better and we had some great lamb and shrimp dinners. The staff was very attentive, when I dripped salad oil on my shirt they brought over a cleaner that got it out right a way which I appreciated very much. After dinner it was back to Ginginha do Carmo for more Ginginha. Again, goes down way to easy… There we met Erica and David Zumba from Chicago who were on a getaway of their own. Great conversation while consuming Ginginha, we hope to catch up to them on a visit to Chicago soon. Thanks guys!
Leave a Reply