Sintra: A Glorious Eden

This book is the first dedicated history and evocation of the royal town of Sintra in Portugal to appear in English. Byron, who loved it above most other places, dubbed it 'a glorious Eden'. The town is rich in history, long associated with the Portuguese royal family, and a place of exile and repose for many crowns and sceptres. It has magnificent natural scenery, its southern alpine setting and its view over a great ocean a cool sanctuary for monarchy and an escape from the urban throng of Lisbon over the ages. Sintra: A Glorious Eden evokes the magic of the royal town, at the same time providing the reader with the historical and literary background to what has become a symbol of Portuguese Romanticism at home and abroad.