Monserrate

Monserrate, Sintra, Portugal.

Once a monestary is said to have crowned the hilltops of Monserrate and in the 1800s the Cook family took over the place and built a beautiful summer palace of moorish wood cuts and colourful wall tiles. The palace was then sold to a rich antique dealer who secretly took the place a part, piece by piece and shipped sculptures and tiles away by night. When the locals understood what was happening they plead to the government to stop him. When the robbing was stopped, the government bought what was left to protect the palace. But war and depression followed and the government was too poor to take care of the palace that started to fall apart, rot and crack. For 50 years Monserrate decayed. Then finally, 15 years ago, a private firm took on the repairations and in 2010 Monserrate was opened to the public. Still, much is left to fo before the place is back to its former glory of the Cook family's reign.