Sintra - Pena Palace

Pena Palace (Palácio da Pena) is  most spectacular!

It is one of the most recognizable tourist attractions in Portugal.

Often compared to Germany's Bavarian castles, Pena is as symbolic to Portugal as Neuschwanstein is to Germany, but it actually is 20 years older and is considered the first Romantic palace in Europe. It was planned by King Ferdinand, who also ordered the planting of Pena Park below it.

In 1840, King Ferdinand II commissioned the Palacio Nacional da Pena to be erected on the ruins of a monastery. Monks had lived here for many years, but the monastery had been destroyed during the earthquake of 1755 and was then abandoned. (That earthquake was a very big deal in Portugal. It is referred to constantly in Portuguese history)  The palace stands on a rock in the Serra de Sintra, high above the small village of Sintra.

In 1837, Ferdinand II bought what was left of the monastery and some farms in the vicinity.

He wanted to build a palace here as a proof of his love for his wife. Unfortunately, she passed away before the completion of the building. His second wife, Countess of Edla, was involved in the design of the interior.

The Pena Palace was built in various architectural styles. The trained eye can discover elements from neo-renaissance, neo-gothic, neo-Manueline and Moorish building elements. The interior was predominantly designed in the style of baroque and rococo. 

Since 1995, the Pena Palace and the cultural landscape of Sintra have been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The art and furnishings that decorate the interior have been preserved to show what it was like to live like royalty between the end of the 1800s and the early 20th century. 

Now, some of you are probably saying, "Hey, I think that I have seen this before!"

Well, yes. Yes you have. You see, we have pretty much 'been there, done that' to all the sites in the greater Lisbon area and we are now doing another tour of them. So, sorry for the reruns. But I'll try to add further information regarding them as we go. Who knows. This might make you want to visit Portugal even more!

And speaking of visiting Portugal. Guess who we had dinner with last night? 

Brandon and Alys Rees

We love company.

Just saying...

P.S. Our first visit to Pena Palace was in the November 3, 2019 post.