Romantic Syntra
Description:
Approaching Sintra, your gaze will attract its original palette of colors, located on the top of the mountain, Palácio Pena. It appears before us as a colorful mirage. Despite the morning fog and a slight breath of wind, this colorful palace feels a solemn atmosphere, tranquility, peace and peace of mind.
Palácio Pena is the embodiment of the imagination and creative effort of Fernand Sacks-Coburg-Goth or Fernand II, the consort king and husband of Queen D. Mary II. Being a romantic and dreamer by nature and artist, he managed to embody in his creation the maximum of romanticism that could be applied, and the ruins of the monastery of the XVI century, to create such an amazing architectural masterpiece.
Having restored and rebuilt the monastery and added an extension to it, Fernando II realized his romantic dream of creating a summer residence for his family. The top of the mountain was transformed into a magnificent park in the English style, thus creating a palace and park complex as a whole.
The architectural performance of Palácio Pena is an unusual blend of neo-Gothic, neo-manueline, neo-mudejar, Renaissance and Baroque. And this is the characteristic features of the Portuguese national romantic mentality of the XiX century. In the exterior we will find various shapes, designs, wall coverings of the original Spanish-Arab tiles /azulejo / 19th century, a copy of the window design in the monastery of the Order of Christ in Tomar, an exclusive figure of Triton, designed by Fernando II himself. And these are not all elements that represent a romantic line in the architecture of the palace.
The interior architecture is a vivid example of how monastery rooms and cells are transformed and adapted to the daily life and recreation of the royal couple. The refectory monastery is successfully converted into a cozy dining room. The chapel and sacristy are placed in relation to the rest of the premises. In the rooms of the Queen you can find stucco with Arabic motifs. In the Noble Hall, the wall decor represents plant motifs, large sockets, acacia leaves and lily flowers. In the round tower / Deer Hall / and chapel, we also admire the "stained glass" fascination of Fernando II. In the halls of the Palace of Pena there are collections of furniture, dishes and porcelain from England, France, Germany. India and China. In the royal rooms there is a collection of unique chandeliers and mirrors.
In this tour you will learn:
From where some elements of the decoration of the palace walls are copied;
What was the name of the first Portuguese monk Hieronymite?
Where did Queen Amalia spend her last night?
And a lot of other interesting information.
After visiting the Palais de Pena, we will go to the Cabo de Roca. This is the westernmost point of Europe. Standing at 140 meters, the Atlantic Ocean opens before us with its giant distances, which brave sailors overcame, conquering the raging elements and discovering the New World and Brazil.
In the information center you can purchase a colorful certificate-confirmation of a visit to Cape Cabo de Roca.
This is the end of our journey and we return to your hotel via the Lisbon Riviera.
For cruise ship tourists, the beginning and end of the tour in the port of Lisbon