Quinta da Regaleira

Quinta da Regaleira Review

Among Sintra's many privately owned mansions is the intriguing Quinta da Regaleira, a five-minute walk along the main road past the tourist office. Built in the early 20th century for a Brazilian mining magnate with a vivid imagination and a keen interest in freemasonry and the Knights Templar (who made their 11th-century headquarters on this site), the estate includes gardens where almost everything—statues, water features, grottoes, lookout towers—is linked to freemasonry or the Knights Templar. Spookiest of all is the 100-foot-deep Poço do Iniciático (Initiation Well)—an inverted underground "tower." The house has an uninspired exhibit on freemasonry, a café, and a restaurant.