L I F E & S T Y L E | D E S T I N AT I O N S Monserrate Palace
The Palaces of Sintra
Portugal offers tourists a trip back in time.
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Sintra, Portugal, houses a variety of historical edifices. All photos by Gina Michalopoulos Kingsley
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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | MARCH 2022
intra, Portugal is a haven of both palatial and provincial charm. Mornings are for touring any of the five palaces, and afternoons for strolling through the town square. Evenings are for sumptuous dinners and clean wines. There’s not an adjective available to describe the impressiveness of these palaces. The exterior details are equaled in splendor by the interior details, furniture and tapestries. Styles range from the whimsical Pena Palace to the Gothic Quinta da Regaleira. The Castelo dos Mouros and the Palacio Nacional de Sintra showcase Moorish distinctions, and the Monserrate Palace dazzles the mind with its intricate carvings. Topping it all off, the palace gardens rival the complexity of the estates. The microclimate of these lush rainforest gardens is the unexpected bonus of Sintra. A forest-green haze blankets the outskirts of the city and whisks you away into the mysterious pride
of Portuguese kingdoms. “Pena Palace” is the identifiable Sintra treasure. Whimsical and glorious, it is the peacock of all palaces. Huff and puff your way up the hill to this estate anticipating its pageantry. It adds to the pomp as you see ramparts and exotic trees emerge in the vista. Vegetation and trees are not endemic to the area; they were imported. The latter demonstrates the ambition of pure landscaping passion. Verdant trails through the gardens lead up to the palace with their own storied past. A chapel on the grounds was used for monks’ retreats as well as for the palace residents’ enjoyment. In the pond by the entrance, there’s a castle just for the waterfowl. The gardens are a horticultural love story. Walking through them is a mystical experience and evokes every fairytale you’ve ever imagined. Mosscovered trails carpet the gardens. Twisted tree branches dangle where they stretched
