Castle of the Moors
The massive stone walls of the Moorish Castle snake over the even more massive granite boulders that litter the sides of Sintra Mountain.
Monserrate Palace
Palácio da Montserrate
Elyn AvivaMonserrate Palace is a palatial villa, an eclectic and charming construction, designed with rotundas and towers, arabesque cut-outs and Moorish-influenced plaster work.
“We stumbled upon the so-called ruined chapel as we strolled through the extensive park. A rubber tree spread over the crumbling walls, vines wedged their roots between decaying stones, and verdant foliage adorned the interior spaces. It looked authentic but, in fact, it was faux, a romantic landscape ornament constructed in 1790. It evokes the idea of the supremacy of wild Nature over human endeavor—but in fact, Nature here is tamed. The real ruined chapel of Monserrate lies buried beneath the palace.” —Elyn
Monserrate Palace is a palatial villa, an eclectic and charming construction, designed with rotundas and towers, arabesque cut-outs and Moorish-influenced plaster work. There’s even a fountain in the center of the palace. The extensive English gardens are delightful. It is hard to imagine that it was a hotbed of espionage in Portugal during World War II.
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National Palace of Sintra
The oldest national palace in Portugal
