Quinta da Regaleira
Quinta da Regaleira was absolutely beautiful, it felt like we were walking around a fairytale in real life! I loved seeing all the different plants and waterfalls throughout the property it is so amazing to me that they got to live with things like this in their own backyard! I also thought all the little caves were so cool. Some of them had tables and benches made out of stones and I think that younger Betsy would have loved to play house in one of them. It was also fun to climb up the different towers so that you could look out over the city below! The entire place was so beautiful it was so great to be in a place with nature and old architecture!
I think that the Quinta da Regaleira is important historically because it was first a woman who owned the land which I think is very different from a lot of the places that we’ve been to so far. It also shows many symbols that are important to Portugal's culture and history like the Armillary sphere was on many of the posts outside of the main palace. There was also the red cross on the floor which was a symbol of the order of Christ. It also has the images of Saint Antonio and Saint Theresa who are important historical figures for Portugal.
The Quinta da Regaleira contributes to Sintra’s status as a cultural capital because it shows that the city has wealth. The palace was sold at the end of the 19th century to a man who was a millionaire and it was sometimes called Monterio the Millionaire which shows that Sintra has a history of wealthy people living there. It also is a place where there is nature incorporated into the buildings which makes it feel like a sanctuary. To me, that seems like an important thing to have in a city because if there is only buildings and nowhere to escape into nature it can feel confining.
Great post! And I definitely agree that places of nature contribute to a city's status as a cultural capital. Cities need business and sanctuary like you said! Also wealth is important to a cities status and so it does add clout for sure! thanks for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your post! I totally agree that the Quinta da Regaleira shows the wealth of the city and contributes to it being a cultural capital. I also loved the rich history you talked about behind the castle itself and how all of the different owners contributed to it in different ways. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love your connection of wealth for Lisbon being a cultural capital. The constant buy and sell of the time shows that those who had money had the opportunity to show off that wealth. We are lucky that today we get to walk around this place so freely. Now as a tourist attraction, it still adds monetary value to the city, but also provides opportunity for people to gain wealth in feeling and knowledge as they attend this place.
ReplyDeleteBetsy, I like how you talked about the feeling of being in a fairytale while walking around Quinta da Regaleira. I felt the same way. I like how you connected the influence of wealth and nature here. Quinta da Regaleira definitely contributes to Sintra and Lisbon being a cultural capital because it is a chance for the visitors to break away from the city and see this great palace springing up out of the surrounding nature.
ReplyDeleteHey Betsy! Great post! I agree with you that it was so beautiful here! I think the beauty of the architecture and nature is what contributes to Sintras position as a cultural capital. It is such a unique place and Sintra uses that to its advantage! They promote it so people will visit and see it which makes them have to see Sintra as a whole.
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