June 23, 2022
Our second stop in Sintra was a large property called Quinta da Regaleira. In Portugal, a quinta is a large, primarily rural estate, especially one with a luxurious mansion or palace. The 10-acre property comprises steep hills and a warren of roads, footpaths, stairways, and tunnels that make it seem far larger than it is.
Our guide Filipa dropped our group of eight at the top of the property, gave us general guidelines and directions, and told us when to meet her at the bottom of the hill near the palace. We set out as a group and stayed together as we made our way through the luxuriant forests and gardens that were designed and created by Carvalho Monteiro, an eccentric Brazilian-Portuguese businessman, collector, and book lover who bought the property from the Viscountess of Regaleira in 1892. Between 1904 and 1910 and with the aid of Italian architect Luigi Manini, Monteiro created a dazzling and enigmatic estate that paid tribute to his varied interests. After 1942, the property changed hands several times, finally being acquired by the Sintra Town Council in 1997, which opened it to the public the following year. The property and castle are a key part of Sintra's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Given our time constraints, we couldn't do the exquisite gardens justice. This is a place that needs repeated visits and free exploration. However, what we did see was extraordinary. I would like to have met the two men whose imagination led to the creation of this park.
Towers and turrets along the way were not only good for photos, but provided less-obstructed views of the surrounding forest.
If you look very carefully at the photo on the above right, you'll see the Moorish Castle that we could see from the Sintra Pena Palace wall walk. Here's a zoomed-in version:
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