I did it again, actually twice!
Once I discovered Sintra with its wealth of architecture and history, I found myself reading, dreaming and planning more visits there! After all, there is a reason the entire town is designated an Unesco World Heritage site! This time I headed to the next place on my list , the intriguing palace and garden Quinta da Regaleira.
Sintra is rich with many extravagant 19th century properties that could be described as magical, and truly, they are. But Regaleira is probably the most mysterious, surrealistic, mystic and eccentric from them all!
The estate was created in 19th century by Carvalho Monteiro, a wealthy Portuguese merchant, who was fascinated by the secretive religious orders of the Freemasons and Knights Templar. He was also admirer of classical mythology, alchemy and esotericism. He did not spare expense and let his mind run wild with the creation of his vision. As a result, Regaleira is a magical place, 4 acres of lush gardens, hidden grottoes, lakes and tunnels, fairy garden structures, whimsical palace, winding stairs and pathways, mystical figurines and statues! It’s a fantasy blending a variety of architectural styles in unexpected harmony.
Getting there: Sintra is a quick 35 min trip from Lisbon. There are two train lines from Lisbon , Rossio-Sintra and Oriente-Sintra, both are direct lines to Sintra. We took the train from EntreCampos station on the Oriente line , but you can take it from any station closer to your place of lodging. Round trip is less than €5 and the trains run every half hour until midnight. (Don’t forget to activate your ticket on the little machine on the ramp before getting on the train!) Once you get to Sintra, Quinta da Regaleira is about 10min easy walk from the center of town, about 20 min from the train station.
ticket €10, last admission 5:30pm, closing at 7:30pm
You need at least couple of hours there, but honestly if you don’t keep track of time you could spend a day. The property is only 4 acres, but because of the unusual terrain and the unexpected placement of structures you almost need to get lost to find things. I went twice and for the 4or 5 hours I was there each time, there are still things I missed. (For the purpose of time management- I waited about 10-15 min to buy a ticket on an early afternoon , and about 10-20min to go into the Initiation Well, not bad considering it’s the busiest season and time of the day( the line was actually shorter on a weekend)
Although not a hidden gem anymore, in my opinion Regaleira is still not as high on the must-see list as it deserves to be! If you are going to Sintra, pay a visit, you won’t be disappointed! To try to decide if Peña or Quinta da Regaleira is more beautiful would be foolish of me, they both are fairytales, unique and magical in their own way. But if I take the chance to describe the kind of fairytale they are, it would go like this: Peña is “a prince on a white horse and a princess on a balcony” type of fairytale, while Regaleira is a” Alice in Wonderland” kind.
So if your interest is spiked and your imagination challenged, let me take you on this walk! To enhance your experience read more details under each picture and as always, follow me for more adventures!
Things to see:
-Palace
-Chapel
-initiation Well- this iconic feature is not a well at all, but rather an underground mystical world, an inverted tower connected to a maze of tunnels under the garden.
-Garden with Follies: Portal of the Guardians, Leda’s Grotto and Regaleira Tower, Lake of the Waterfall, Promenade of the Gods, Ibis Fountain, Fountain of Abundance, Pisões Gateway, Labyrinth Grotto.
History- the property was owned by The Baroness da Regaleira (hence today’s name) and used as her summer retreat. In the beginning of the 1900s it was purchased by Antonio Augusta da Carvalho Monteiro, a wealthy Portuguese merchant ( the biggest coffee importer of the time). He added few adjoining parcels of land and hired the Italian architect and designer Luigi Manini to create the estate. (Fun fact: Manini was responsible for the set design of La Scalia Theatre in Milan and author of the architectural project of the Buçaco Palace) The construction took 6 years and a lavish amount of money for what the property earned the name “Palace of the Monteiro Millionaire”. After Monteiro’s death the estate was vacant for number of years, then resold twice including to the Japanese Aoki Corporation , who owned it for about 10 years. The property was eventually acquired by Municipality of Sintra, opened to the public in 1998 and added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list shortly after.
GARDEN- lush, dreamy, inspired by Monteiro’s mystic ideologies.
Four acres of enchanting garden filled with esoteric symbols, statues of mythological figures, fairy garden structures, maze of grottoes, caves and tunnels creating an unforgettable one-of-a-kind experience.
Initiation Well/Poço Inicoatico- the most unusual feature and the most visited place in Regaleira. This iconic well is in fact a monumental staircase spiraling down almost 30m/100ft and has 9 platforms with 15 steps each. The purpose of the well is unknown. Some say the inspiration came from Monteiro’s fascination with Freemasonry and the well symbolizes the initiation rites of the Knights Templar. Considering the fact that the bottom of the well is inscribed with a compass over a Rosicrucian Templar cross, it sounds probable that the well is inspired by the cultish religious ceremonies, and if it wasn’t for the difference in centuries (or who really knows about the secret society?!) it could have equally hosted them. Another theory claims that the inspiration came from Dante’s Divine Comedy and it recreates three distinct existential planes: Heaven, Earth and Hell (nine circles of Hell, nine sections of Purgatory, and nine skies of Paradise) .
While we can ponder on the idea of the ceremonial purposes of the well, there’s one thing we can be certain of- that it was never used for water collection. The bottom of the well is leading to a concealed passageway which connects to maze like tunnels under the garden, leading in different directions. There are multiple entrances and exits to the tunnels throughout the garden. For visitor purposes today, the well is only accessible one way from the top. If you are visiting in the high of the touristy season be prepared to wait a line to get in. There’s one more well on the property- Poço Impetfeito/ The Unfinished well (connected by underground tunnel), not as high, much quieter and far less touristy, but as the name implies, not as spectacular.
#quitadaregaleira, #portugal, #sintra , #europe , #europetravel , #lisbon , #initiationwell, #unfinishedwell, #chapeloftheholytrinity, #onedaylist, #theonedaylist, #portaloftheguardians, #ledasgrotto, #regaleiratower, #lakeofthewaterfall, #promenadeofthegods, #ibisfountain, #fountainofabundance , #pisoesgateway, #labyrinthgrotto,
#pocoiniciatico, #pocoimperfeito, #capelladasantissimatrindade, #portaldosguardiaes, #grutadaleda,#torredaregaleira, #lagodacascata, #patamardosdeuses, #pisoesloggia, #casadosibis, #grutadolabirinto, #fontedaabundancia.