Quinta da Regaleira is an estate on the edge of the historic centre of Sintra, built between 1904 and 1910 for António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro. The Italian architect and scenographer Luigi Manini designed the palace, the chapel and the gardens, which form part of the Cultural Landscape of Sintra.
Carvalho Monteiro, who made his fortune in Brazil, filled the estate with symbols linked to his interests, including the Knights Templar, Freemasonry and the poet Camões.
What to see at Quinta da Regaleira
- Palace: a Neo-Manueline building that mixes Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance revival details, with carved stone façades and a tower.
- Chapel: a small Neo-Manueline chapel in the gardens, next to the palace.
- Initiation Well: an inverted tower 27 metres deep, with a spiral staircase of nine landings. The well was never used for water.
- Second well: a smaller and simpler well, left unfinished.
- Tunnels and grottoes: underground passages link the wells, grottoes and a lake with a waterfall.
- Gardens: about 4 hectares of paths, towers, fountains and viewpoints on the slope of the Sintra hills.
History of Quinta da Regaleira
- 1892: António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro buys the estate.
- Around 1898: Carvalho Monteiro engages Luigi Manini, who had designed the Palace Hotel of Buçaco.
- 1904 to 1910: the palace, chapel, wells and gardens are built.
- 1920: Carvalho Monteiro dies, and the estate passes through several private owners.
- 1995: UNESCO inscribes the Cultural Landscape of Sintra on the World Heritage List.
- 1997: Sintra Municipality buys the estate, and it opens to the public in 1998.
Visiting Quinta da Regaleira
- Management: Fundação CulturSintra runs the estate. It is not part of the Parques de Sintra ticket system, so tickets are bought separately.
- Location: the estate is on the road that leaves the historic centre of Sintra towards Seteais and Monserrate, within walking distance of the National Palace of Sintra.
Other places in the Cultural Landscape of Sintra