Pena Palace

We pre-booked our tickets to visit Pena Palace and I am so glad we did. We walked into Sintra to catch a public bus up to the palace, we found the bus stop and waited. What we experienced was a unending line of tour buses letting out huge groups right where we were waiting. It was like tsunami of tour groups - our worst nightmare. The buses were lined up four in a row, double and triple parked, blocking traffic and generally causing pandemonium. A local plod eventually stepped in and restored a bit of order.

Our bus, the 434, eventually managed to get through but had nowhere to stop. Finally, there was room and the bus driver pulled in. We all hopped on and headed off on what we had been told was about a 15 minute bus ride up to the palace. We stopped near Sintra train station to let more people on and then stayed put for at least 15 minutes. We could see the clock ticking down to our 10:30 am entry time (which we were told was strictly enforced), so I asked the driver when we might start moving. He said that he would be departing in 5 minutes but, not to worry they, would let us in. We were only dropped off outside the gate of the Peña Palace at 10.40 am. Then, to my horror, I realised we have to schlepp up a steep hill to get to the castle. By the time we reached the line it was 10.55 am and the 11 am group were about to be let in. Lucky, the guy scanning tickets took pity and told us to walk ahead of the 11 am group. We finally entered the palace just before 11 am and I was sweating from head to toe.

I could now breath normally again and slowly recovered as we walked slowly through this most impressive building following the long conga line of other tourists. Peña Palace stands on the top of a hill in the mountains above the town of Sintra. On a clear day the castle can easily be seen from Lisbon. It is a national monument and is one of the major expressions of 19th century Romanticism in the world. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the seven wonders of Portugal. And, it’s very crowded.

The castle’s history started in the Middle Ages when a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Peña was built on top of the hill above Sintra. Then in 1493, King John, accompanied by his wife Queen Leonor, made a pilgrimage to the site to fulfill a vow. His successor, King Manual I, was also fond of this sanctuary, and ordered the construction of the monastery, which was donated to the Order of Saint Jerome. For centuries Peña was a small quiet place for meditation, housing a maximum of 18 monks.

In the 18th century the monastery was severely damaged by lightening and then the Great Lisbon earthquake, reduced it to ruins. For decades the ruins remained untouched. In 1838, King Ferdinand II decided to acquire the old monastery, all the surrounding lands, the nearby Castle of the Moors and a few other estates in the area.
He then proceeded to transform the remains of the monastery into a palace that would serve as a summer residence for the Portuguese royal family. Construction took place between 1842 and 1854.

In 1995, the palace and the rest of the Cultural Landscape of Sintra were classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

It is simply breathtaking to see and the craftsmanship on display is quite wonderful. There area a number of different styles including Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Neo-Islamic and Neo- Renaissance. We spent a couple of hours exploring the palace and it’s gardens.Leggi altro