Palatial Lisbon
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Because the Portuguese were such a seafaring (and colonising) nation, they came into contact with many different cultures and societies, absorbing and assimilating their tastes and styles. And of course, the conquering Moors from North Africa left a very rich architectural heritage throughout Portugal and Spain. And so … Lisbon has its French-inspired Versailles in the Queluz palace.
Because the Portuguese were such a seafaring (and colonising) nation, they came into contact with many different cultures and societies, absorbing and assimilating their tastes and styles. And of course, the conquering Moors from North Africa left a very rich architectural heritage throughout Portugal and Spain. And so … Lisbon has its French-inspired Versailles in the Queluz palace. And a mishmash of Moorish, Manueline and Renaissance flair in the outrageously flamboyant Pena palace in Sintra. But there are so many more palaces, in gilt and marble and mosaic tilework with enormous formal gardens, arboretums and parks that would take you a month of Sundays to properly explore. Every guidebook exhorts you to head for Sintra, once a summer hilltop retreat for Portuguese royalty and bristling with fantastical castles, just a 15-minute drive out of the city. But be warned … the crush of people is overwhelming, tourbus loads unravelling into confined streets, animated bobbing heads protruding into every Instagram snap.
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