Palacio da Pena
Built in the 1840s by Prince Ferdinand, honorary king of Portugal, on the site of a monastery, this whimsical, romantic palace is one of the best known images of Portugal. A pilgrimage site since the Middle Ages, the chapel of Our Lady of Pena was replaced by a monastery by King Manuel 1. Ruined in the 1755 earthquake, Ferdinand bought the ruins, and 200 acres of surrounding parkland, he then set about extending the palace by adding a "New Palace". The monastery was painted pink and the "new Palace" in yellow. You can only see a tiny bit in these pictures - the whole structure was seriously impressive.
Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil a... ... read more 
