Quinta da Regaleira
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An early-twentieth-century estate belonging to Carvalho Monteiro, designed by architect Luigi Manini and famous for its spiral initiatic well some 27 metres deep.
Carvalho Monteiro and Luigi Manini
The estate took its present form between 1904 and 1910, when António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro, nicknamed Monteiro dos Milhões for the fortune he had made in Brazil, commissioned Italian stage designer and architect Luigi Manini to create a five-storey Neo-Manueline palace set within around four hectares of gardens. Manini, who came from Milan's La Scala theatre, conceived the whole as a symbolic journey laden with references to alchemy, the Knights Templar, Freemasonry and the Rosicrucians. In 1997 Sintra Town Council acquired the property, restored it and opened it to the public; it now forms part of the Cultural Landscape of Sintra, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.
The Initiatic Well, the chapel and the tunnels
The centrepiece is the Poço Iniciático, an inverted tower some 27 metres deep with a helical staircase of nine landings, which many visitors associate with the nine circles of Hell in Dante's Inferno. At the bottom, a Templar cross belonging to the Monteiro family is inlaid into the marble floor, from which dark tunnels lead out beside the Cascade and the Cascade Lake, crossing a stepping-stone path over the water. The route also takes in the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, with its crypt and stained glass, the greenhouse, the towers with their viewpoints and corners such as the Portal of the Guardians.
Tickets, opening times and how to get there
Entry costs 20 euros for adults (aged 18–64) and 15 euros for young people aged 6 to 17 and those over 65 in 2026; children under 5 enter free. Visits are by timed slot, and it is worth booking at regaleira.pt one or two days ahead, as the 10:00–14:00 slots sell out during high season. Open every day 10:00–19:30 from April to September (last entry 17:30) and until 18:30 for the rest of the year. Allow an hour and a half to two hours; go in the mid-afternoon to avoid the queue for the well. From Sintra railway station, bus 435 stops at the door.
Frequently asked questions
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