Palácio de Monserrate

I had the great pleasure of visiting Sintra this week. It is a beautiful town where royalty and their guests vacationed in the summers.

What has been left behind from those years of monarchs and kings are beautiful palaces and castles that are now maintained by the state and available for all to enjoy and appreciate.

C845C265-8B1B-48CD-99F6-A4419962AE98_1_201_a — The main entrance to the palace

The palace was built by Sir Francis Cook, a wealthy English merchant who decided to build a summer residence in Sintra in the early 1860’s.

In 1995 Sintra Hills, including the Park of Monserrate, was declared a World Heritage Cultural Landscape by UNESCO.

E10E0F0F-0D64-4787-8C5C-FFEA55AF6D58_1_201_a — The foyer at the entrance to the palace.

F4DEF444-97B7-4656-93EC-F783AF93F7CA_1_201_a — Ceiling detail

From the foyer, each corridor leads you to a series of rooms.

02C38636-7A63-4B1B-A431-1FE307C246F1_1_201_a — The ceilings in each of the rooms is intricately designed.

AC32F542-67E3-449F-A3AD-1C5CCBD166E5_1_201_a — Another hallway off of the foyer

In 2013 the Park of Monserrate with its rolling hills was honored with the European Garden Award for the “Best Development of a Historic Park or Garden”.