Portugal Vacation: Visit The Fairytale Quinta da Regaleira In Sintra
Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, Portugal
While Sintra is a fascinating city to visit in itself, it is home to a wonderful place, known as the Quinta da Regaleira. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is also dubbed The Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire and is certainly not just a palace. The main building is surrounded by a fascinating collection of architecture on beautiful, park-like grounds and features a lake, a fountain, several grottos and unique wells.
Once the sprawling property was his, he hired an Italian architect, Luigi Manini. Between them, they went on to create a wonderland of gardens, buildings, tunnels and wells, reflecting Monteiro’s ideologies and interests, along with enigmatic smaller buildings throughout the property.
Meanwhile, the architecture on the property wasn’t just a simple style, as it includes symbols relating to Masonry, the Knights Templar and Rosicrucians with a little added alchemy. Moreover, the styles also incorporate Gothic, Renaissance, some Manueline and a Roman touch.
Gardens and parks at Quinta da Regaleira
Meanwhile, the gardens offer several entry points into an extensive network of tunnels and grottos. Moreover, the tunnels lead the way to the chapel on the property, as well as Waterfall Lake and the fascinating “Leda’s Cave.”
‘Reversed towers’
The largest of the wells is dubbed the “Initiation Well,” which connects to the network of tunnels at Quinta da Regaleira. Visitors can traverse the 88-ft spiral staircase, taking them around and down the interior of the well with various landings along the way. It is said that the number of steps involved and the spacing of the landings are calculated using Tarot mysticism. Meanwhile, the Initiation Well was used for various ceremonial purposes.
Visit Quinta da Regaleira on your next visit to Sintra in Portugal. Here you can tour the gardens and tunnels, head through the “Initiation Well,” visit Waterfall Lake and the grottos. Experience the mystery of this amazing place while exploring everything it has to offer. Find out more and book tickets on the official website for the Quinta da Regaleira here.