Travel Vibes: Quinta da Regaleira & the Initiation Well (Video & Photos)

Sintra in Portugal is a fascinating city in itself, but it is also home to the most amazing place, Quinta da Regaleira.  A place of wonder, incredulity and sheer amazement.  The site has been classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site as part of the “Cultural Landscape of Sintra,” and it is easy to see why.

 Photo: From the bottom of the "Initiation Well" CC-by-SA Stijndon 

Also known as “The Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire,” Quinta da Regaleira is not actually just a palace.  Surrounding the main building (pictured below ) there is an amazing range of unusual architecture set in stunning park-like grounds with a lake, several grottos, fountains and wells. 

Palace at Quinta da Regaleira CC-by-SA Lusitana

Quinta da Regaleira got its nickname from the rather splendid former owner of the property, António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro. The four-hectare estate was previously owned by the Barons of Regaleira, a rich family from Porto.  In 1892, Monteiro bought the property from them for 25,000 réis. He then got an Italian architect involved, Luigi Manini, and together they went to work on creating an absolute wonderland of buildings, gardens, tunnels and wells, reflecting his own interests and ideologies, with enigmatic smaller constructions dotted around the property.

The style of the architecture lends itself to symbols of the Knights Templar, Masonry and Rosicrucians, with a touch of alchemy to boot.  There is a mixture of styles, incorporating the Gothic, Renaissance, a touch of the Romans with a little Manueline.

The gardens vary from well-kept areas, right through to lush and messy forests, as Monteiro believed in primitivism, and everywhere within the park-like area there can be found decorative and symbolic structures.

 

Garden at Quinta da Regaleira CC-by-SA Lacobrigo  

In the garden several entry points are available to an extensive network of fascinating tunnels and grottos.  These tunnels lead to the chapel, Waterfall Lake and the very interesting "Leda's Cave."

The Labyrinthic Grotto seen from the lake CC-by-SA Lusitana

Possibly one of the most fascinating aspects of the whole property is, however, the two wells on the property. While having nothing to do with water, as such, both wells are fascinating to visit.  A better description of the wells is probably that they are "reversed towers" or "underground towers."

Initiation Well CC-by-SA Stijndon

The largest, known as the "Initiation Well" (pictured above) is connected to the network of tunnels on the property and has a 27-meter spiral staircase going around and down inside the well, connecting to several landings along the way.  The spacing of the landings and number of steps involved is apparently calculated and related to Tarot mysticism.  The “Initiation Well” was said to be used for many and various ceremonial purposes.

The smaller well has straight stairs which connect to a series of ring-shaped floors and is more commonly known as the "Unfinished Well."

The video below takes you on a tour in the tunnels, through to the "Initiation Well," and further on to various grottos and the Waterfall Lake, giving a feel of some of the mystery of this fascinating destination, and ending with some shots of the palace itself and its surroundings.  Quinta da Regaleira is definitely a must-see on your visit to Sintra in Portugal.