Sintra Portugal

Sintra Portugal, located immediately north of Lisbon is the previous retreat for Portuguese Royalty. Renowned for its fairy-tail like character, Sintra is a town wrapped in imagination and myth, nestled in a land that would fit nicely into a children’s fairy-tale.

Sintra is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a must see for any person who is serious to experiencing and seeing the unexpected. People who have visited Sintra regularly  describe as a astonishing place where imagination and reality have been carefully entwined. Sintra gets its fantastic characteristic owing to the unbelievably large number of Castles and Palaces which have been engineered there over thousands of years. Even the Sintra’s Town Hall, The Câmara Municipal, which you can see on the image above, is an amazingly stunning building.

Similar to most places in Portugal, Sintra has a very long history, spanning thousands of years. Sintra’s lengthy history may be traced back to the early Neolithic era, and archaeological proof indicates a long sequence of human settlements spanning through Bronze and Iron ages.

Throughout Roman rule of Lisbon, Sintra formed part of the Roman Administration town of Olisipo (Modern Lisbon). But it wasn’t until the 11th century, during Moorish occupation of Iberia that reference is made to Sintra. At that time it was incorporated as a dependency of Lisbon. Around seven years subsequent to the Christian King Afonso Henriques reconquest of Lisbon in 1147, Sintra was awarded charter as a commune. It was during the Christian Reconquest that Sintra’s iconic Moorish Castle was partly ruined.

Sintra was governed by the Knights Templars until the order was abolished. Soon afterward, the Portuguese Crown renamed the Knights Templar the Order of Christ. Even though there existed structures built by the Portuguese Crown well into the 15th century, it wasn’t until the commencement of the Portuguese Global Empire that Sintra bloomed. It was King Manuel I who commenced the lasting association between Sintra and the Crown by enlarging the existing Royal Palace and the building of the Nossa Senhora da Penha Monestary. It was from the Nossa Senhora da Penha Monestary  that King Manuel I watched Vasco da Gama’s iconic return voyage of discovery.

In the present day, Sintra is a place full of magic and splendor which was formed by successive peoples who lived there. With the support of the Portuguese Crown, it is genuinely one of the most attractive places on earth, and exceptional in every way. A vacation to Sintra is a must and should not be missed on your next Portugal Travel.

The Following are a number of of the thrilling places awaiting your stay in Sintra:

The Royal Palace: Built in the 15th and 16th century the Royal Palace is situated in the Centre of Sintra. With its two immense chimney, the Royal Palace is as magnificent as it is commanding. The Palace has included, extensively, the use of azulejos, Portuguese tiles designed as enhancement of walls.

The Pena Palace: Planned by Portuguese engineer Possiddnio da Silva, the Pena Palace is a creation of absolute Romanticism. The prototype Of European Romanticism, the Pena Palace was commissioned by King Ferdinand II, and constructed over the ruins of a medieval monastery which had been neglected after the 1755 earthquake. Extensive use of Egyptian, Moorish, Gothic, and Renaissance elements gives the Pena Palace an unchanging and enchanted feel.

The Palace of Montserrate: Designed by celebrated British architect, James
Knowles Junior for Sir Francis Cook, The Palace of Montserrate is an example of mid-19th century eclecticism. fusing Neo Gothicism and elements derivative from India, Montserrate is as fascinating as it is magnificent.

The Moorish Castle: Sitting high on a mountain it is said that the Moorish Castle is not Moorish but of Visigothic in origin. Since It was occupied by the Moors at the time of the Christian Reconquest it became recognized as the Moorish Castle. Though the castle is to some extent in ruins, due to its sacking by Dom Afonso Henriques Crusade in Iberia, it is well preserved and worth a stopover due to its extraordinary history and panoramic views.

The Quinta da Regaleira:  Built between 1904 – 1910 the Quinta da Regaleira is motivated by spirituality, infused with symbols of alchemy, Masonry, the Knights Templar and the Rosicrucians.  The property where the Regaleira sits was formerly owned by the Barons of Regaleira, a affluent merchant family from Porto. It wasn’t until the land was purchased by well-heeled businessman Carvalho Monteiro that construction of the Regaleira commenced. The Quinta should not be missed on your Portugal vacation.

These are merely a sampling of the many astonishing places to visit in Sintra. There are frequent estates with vegetation imported from all over of the world. Sintra is more than just a location, it has an power that makes it one of the most excellent places on this planet to visit.

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