Quinta da Regaleira

Sintra, We will be back

It was nearly 1300 when we finished at Pena Palace, so Victor whisked us off to the Arribas Hotel situated on the Praia Grande (Grand Beach) for a little nosh. The hotel sports the largest pool I have ever seen, complete with three elevated diving boards…I guess Portugal is less litigious than the US. (Note: my tongue is firmly in my cheek as I type this.)

If you google Quinta da Regaleira you are likely to see a photo like this (without Denise of course).

History

It was difficult to decide how to utilize our last 90 minutes in Sintra. Unfortunately, we had a workman coming to our apartment at 1700 so we could only pick one. We chose the Quinta da Regaleira, one of the last properties built during the Portuguese monarchy (1904-1910). The property was first owned by the Viscondessa da Regaleira but later acquired by António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro as his favorite (it appears he had more than one) country estate. Moneybags Monteiro, as he was affectionately called, commissioned an Italian set designer/architect to enlarge and complete the project.

More recently, the property was sold in 1942 to be used as a private residence and then to a Japanese corporation in 1987. The property remained closed to the public and in 1997 it was purchased by the Sintra Town Council which immediately undertook restoration efforts. The property was opened to the public in 1998.

Sintra’s micro-climate is a horticulturist’s dream.

Poco Iniciático

While there is a Palace and Chapel and lakes and gardens galore, perhaps the most striking feature of the property is the wells. The most famous the Poco Iniciático (the Initiation Pool or Well) pictured at the top of this post and the less perfect, aptly called the Poco Imperteito. The wells, which look like inverted towers, were not sources of water but rather used for ceremonial purposes. I have read that they were used in Tarot initiation rites, by the Freemasons, or by an underground branch of the Knights Templar. Many believe the 27-meter deep Poco Iniciático was used by the Masons with each floor of the well representing one of the nine cycles of hell from Dante’s Divine Comedy.

Unfortunately, I didn’t do a lot of research before we headed off on our journey. If I had I would have downloaded an app that guides you through the property. You can also rent earphones or choose a guided tour. The fact is, 90-minutes is not enough time to explore this 4-hectare property. On our next visit, we will descend further into the wells which connect with a system of tunnels with entry points in grottoes, the chapel, a lake, and a spot called “Leda’s Cave”. Based on a video I watched, we need to remember to bring a flashlight!

In my ongoing effort to learn to be a food blogger, our waiter expertly filets our fish of the day.

Photos

I’ll end this post with just two more photos. If you want to see more, check out my Facebook page.

Atop the Portal dos Guardiães (Guardians Portal).

As this is the exit, can you imagine what the inside looks like?