Pena Palace

— A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Portugal‘s Seven Wonders, the Pena Palace is majestic in its location and striking inside and outside. On our recent trip to Portugal, the palace was high on our list of must-see sights. The castle sits on top of a hill in the Sintra mountains and provides beautiful views of the area surrounding it. Although it receives a lot of visitors daily, the castle is still used for state occasions by the President of Portugal. After the 1755 devastating earthquake that hit Portugal, the castle was nearly reduced to ruins. Only its chapel escaped without much damage. It was not until the 1800s when King Ferdinand II decided to purchase the castle, restore it and make it into the monarch’s summer residence. The original red and yellow façades were restored to their original colors in the 20th century. Architecturally, the palace is a mixture of styles. It includes the Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Neo-Islamic, and Neo-Renaissance styles. Of course, its red tower is a clear reference to the Tower of Belém in Lisbon.