Portugal

180
ESTORIL, CASCAIS & SINTRA
7
SINTRA: BYRON’S “GLORIOUS EDEN”
Exploring the Palace
Palácio Nacional de Queluz , Largo do Palácio, 2745-191 Queluz (& 21/
434-38-60; www.ippar.pt/monumentos/palacio_queluz.html), on the highway
from Lisbon to Sintra, shimmers in the sunlight. It’s a brilliant example of
the rococo in Portugal. Pedro III ordered its construction in 1747, and the work
dragged on until 1787. The architect Mateus Vicente de Oliveira was later
joined by the French decorator-designer Jean-Baptiste Robillon, who was
largely responsible for planning the garden and lakeside setting.
Pedro III had adapted an old hunting pavilion that once belonged to the
Marquis Castelo Rodrigo but later came into the possession of the Portuguese
royal family. Pedro III liked it so much that he decided to make it his summer
residence. What you’ll see today is not what the palace was like in the 18th
century; during the French invasions, almost all of its belongings were transported
to Brazil with the royal family. A 1934 fire destroyed a great deal of
Queluz, but tasteful and sensitive reconstruction restored the lighthearted
aura of the 18th century.
Blossoming mauve petunias and red geraniums highlight the topiary
effects, with closely trimmed vines and sculptured box hedges. Fountain pools
on which lilies float are lined with blue tiles and reflect the muted facade, the
statuary, and the finely cut balustrades.
Inside you can wander through the queen’s dressing room, lined with
painted panels depicting a children’s romp; the Don Quixote Chamber (Dom
with prawn béchamel, poached sole Cozinha Velha, fried goat with mashed turnip
sprouts, or pepper steak with spinach mousse. For dessert, try the crepes Cozinha Velha
with champagne sorbet.
Palácio Nacional de Queluz, Largo do Palácio. & 21/435-02-32. Reservations recommended. Main
courses 18€–26€. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 12:30–3pm and 7:30–10:30pm.
5 SINTRA: BYRON’S “GLORIOUS EDEN”
29km (18 miles) NW of Lisbon
Writers have sung Sintra’s praises ever since Portugal’s national poet, Luís Vaz de Camões,
proclaimed its glory in Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads). Lord Byron called it “glorious Eden”
when he and John Cam Hobhouse included Sintra in their 1809 grand tour. English
romantics thrilled to its description in Byron’s autobiographical Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage.
Picture a town on a hillside, with decaying birthday-cake villas covered with tiles coming
loose in the damp mist. Luxuriant vegetation covers the town: camellias for melancholic
romantics, ferns behind which lizards dart, pink and purple bougainvillea over
garden trelliswork, red geraniums on wrought-iron balconies, eucalyptus branches fluttering
in the wind, lemon groves, and honey-sweet mimosa scenting the air. But take
heed—some who visit Sintra fall under its spell and stay forever.