ESTREMADURA IN PORTUGAL

ARTE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our last stop is at the Portuguese palaces, a legacy of a glorious imperial past.

The Palacio da Pena dominates Lisbon and the Atlantic coast with its eclectic Moorish- and Rococo-influenced architecture. Inside the Palacio Nacional de Mafra, a convent was built to house 330 monks. Its library contains over 4,000 works from all over the world. The red façade of the Palace of the Marquis of Fronteira, which survived the earthquake that destroyed Lisbon in 1755, conceals splendid azulejos, tile panels painted in shades of blue. The Palacio Nacional de Queluz, which houses the Royal Riding School, is a perfect illustration of the Rococo style.