Sintra – Pena Palace

The image is a vintage travel poster of the Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal. The palace is a national monument and a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its 19th-century Romanticist architecture and vibrant colors.

The palace is perched atop a hill in the Sintra Mountains, visible on clear days from Lisbon. Originally a 16th-century Hieronymite monastery, it fell into disrepair after the great earthquake of 1755. King Ferdinand II bought the ruins in 1838 and transformed it into a summer residence for the royal family, with construction completed around the 1850s.

The design is an eclectic blend of Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Neo-Islamic, and Neo-Renaissance styles, incorporating elements from other Portuguese and European buildings and  its famous for its bright exterior, originally painted in red for the old monastery section and yellow (ochre) for the new palace wing; these colors were restored in the 1990s after decades of fading to gray.

After the monarchy’s fall in 1910, it became a national monument and a museum, open to the public. It is also used for state occasions. The palace is surrounded by the vast, forested Pena Park, which features a labyrinth of paths, exotic plant species from around the world, and various points of interest like the Chalet of the Countess of Edla and the Cruz Alta viewpoint.

The palace is considered one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal and is a major tourist attraction.