Sintra was one of the first places in Europe to experiment with Romantic architecture in the 19th century when King Ferdinand converted ruins of a monastery into a castle combining Gothic, Egyptian, Islamic, and Renaissance features surrounded by exotic grounds. This model was later adopted in other Sintra Mountain palaces and inspired other European landscapes. The variety of historic buildings and scenery in Sintra has made it a popular tourist destination from Lisbon, with the town set amidst pine-covered hills offering palaces, mansions, and decorative gardens constructed by Portuguese nobility.

1. Work done by:
Carolina Monteiro 8ºA
“Lightening Places“

2. Cultural Landscape of Sintra
Sintra was one of the first places in Europe to experiment with Romantic
architecture in the 19th century. King Consort Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg
and Gotha, married to Queen Maria II, converted the ruins of a monastery
into a castle, bringing together in a brilliant manner Gothic, Egyptian,
Islamic and Renaissance features, surrounded by exuberant, exotic
grounds to the taste of the period. The same model was adopted in other
palaces of the Sintra Mountain and served as inspiration for other
European landscapes.

3. The variety of fascinating historic buildings and beautiful scenery
has established Sintra as a fantastic tourist destination, and has
since become the most popular day trip from Lisbon. This guide will
provide an introduction to this wonderful town, by answering some
of the common tourist questions and offering links to further in-
depth information.

4. Sintra is a picturesque Portuguese town that is set amidst the
pine-covered hills of the Serra de Sintra. This hilly and
slightly cooler climate enticed the nobility and elite of
Portugal, who constructed exquisite palaces, extravagant
mansions and decorative gardens.

5. Sintra is a delightful Portuguese town that has an abundance of wonderful
tourist attractions, which range from ancient castles through to sumptuous
palaces. The town is famed for its Romanticism style of architecture and
there are numerous fine examples of this elaborate and decorative
construction type found throughout the forested hills of the Serra da Sintra
national park.

6. The Castelo dos Mouros was constructed by the Moors in the 9th
century as a fortified observatory, with views over the sea and
region. After the invasion of central Portugal by the Christian
Crusaders in the 12th century the importance of this viewpoint
waned and the castle fell into disrepair. The castle deteriorated
further after fire (from lighting) and earthquakes during the 17th and
18th centuries. The all but forgotten castle was restored during the
19th century so as to be a major feature in the grounds of the Pena
Palace.

7. The castle is set amidst dense forests and from the battlements or
towers are spectacular panoramic views over Sintra. The Moors
castle and Pena Palace are often visited together but the more
historically important Pena Palace should be visited first (unless
the queues are too long).

8. The Quinta da Regaleira is an extravagant 19th century
gothic mansion that is surrounded with some of the most
elaborate gardens of Sintra. The gardens are a joy to explore
as they are filled with decorative fortifications, mystic
religious symbols and a series of secrete passages and caves.
The central feature of the gardens is the initiation well, a
well that was drained, expanded and possibly used for cult
ceremonies.

9. The Quinta da Regaleira takes about 2 hours to visit and the
majority of the time will be spent exploring the amazing
gardens. An adult ticket costs €6 and the mansion is a 5-
minute walk from the centre of historic Sintra. The Quinta da
Regaleira is a popular tourist attraction but not as popular as
the Pena Palace or Palácio Nacional and never feels over
crowded as most visitors are spread throughout the gardens