Sintra - Palácio Nacional de Sintra

The Palácio Nacional de Sintra, or Paço Real, is the ancestral seat of the House of Avis. It appears that there was definitely a Moorish castle on this site in the 10th C., and its walls served as the foundations for the summer palace built there by King Joao I (1385 to 1433). This was extended and altered during the reign of Manuel I (1495-1521). Its most characteristic, and prominent, features are the two tall conical chimneys added in the 18th C. Completely restored and refurnished under Maria II, the palace was then chosen by Luís I as his favorite residence, and it became the dower house of his widow Maria Pia. The Palace is not a single, uniform building, but consists of different, linked individual components. Through its history it has brought together Moorish, Gothic and Manueline architectural elements, together with Renaissance features. The palace frontage on the Largo Rainha D. Amélia, with its gently sloped flight of steps and the five Joanine double windows, was part of the first phase of the building and Manuel I then added the many Manuelinestyle windows and doorways.

The interior of the former royal palace offers an overview of Portuguese art and architecture of many different periods, with its shady patios and their refreshing fountains, its carpeted halls, its coffered ceilings and its many rooms faced with 15th and 16th C. azulejos.