The Enchanting Town Of Sintra Portugal

Sintra, located immediately north of Lisbon is the former haven for Portuguese Royalty. Famous for its fairy-tail like character, Sintra is a place wrapped in fantasy and myth, nestled in a place that would fit nicely into a children’s storybook.

Sintra is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a must see for any person who is serious to experiencing and seeing the unexpected. Individuals who have visited Sintra often  depict as a astonishing location where fantasy and reality have been carefully entwined. Sintra gets its dreamy attribute due to the exceptionally large quantity of Castles and Palaces that have been engineered there over thousands of years. Even the Sintra’s Town Hall, The Câmara Municipal, that you can see on the picture above, is an incredibly magnificent structure.

Comparable to many places in Portugal, Sintra has a extremely extended history, spanning thousands of years. Sintra’s lengthy history may be traced back to the early Neolithic period, and archaeological evidence indicates a long sequence of human settlements spanning through Bronze and Iron ages.

During Roman rule of Lisbon, Sintra was part of the Roman Administration town of Olisipo (Modern Lisbon). But it wasn’t until the 11th century, in the course of Moorish occupation of Iberia that mention is made to Sintra. At that time it was included as a dependent territory of Lisbon. About seven years following 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 destroyed.

Sintra was governed by the Knights Templars until the order was abolished. Soon after that, the Portuguese Crown renamed the Knights Templar the Order of Christ. Even though there were structures constructed by the Portuguese Crown well into the 15th century, it wasn’t until the beginning of the Portuguese Global Empire that Sintra bloomed. It was King Manuel I who commenced the lasting connection involving Sintra and the Crown by enlarging the existing Royal Palace and the construction 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.

Nowadays, Sintra is a place full of mystery and magnificence which was created by consecutive peoples who lived there. With the assistance of the Portuguese Crown, it is genuinely one of the most absorbing places on earth, and distinctive in every way. A outing to Sintra is a must and must not be missed on your next Portugal Holiday.

The Following are some of the astonishing places awaiting your stopover in Sintra:

The Royal Palace: Constructed in the 15th and 16th century the Royal Palace is located in the Centre of Sintra. With its two gigantic smokestack, the Royal Palace is as magnificent as it is imposing. The Palace has incorporated, greatly, the use of azulejos, Portuguese tiles designed as embellishment of walls.

The Pena Palace: Designed by Portuguese architect Possiddnio da Silva, the Pena Palace is a composition of absolute Romanticism. The prototype Of European Romanticism, the Pena Palace was commissioned by King Ferdinand II, and engineered over the ruins of a medieval monastery that had been abandoned 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 renowned 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 derived from India, Montserrate is as captivating as it is beautiful.

The Moorish Castle: Sitting high on a mountain it is believed that the Moorish Castle is not Moorish but of Visigothic in origin. Since It was in use by the Moors at the time of the Christian Reconquest it became recognized as the Moorish Castle. Though the castle is somewhat in ruins, owing to its sacking by Dom Afonso Henriques Crusade in Iberia, it is well preserved and worth a stopover owing to its incredible history and panoramic vistas.

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

These are just a few of the many fantastic places to see in Sintra. There are many gardens with plants imported from all over of the world. Sintra is more than just a place, it has an power that makes it one of the top places on this planet to see.