The Italian House_3

SINTRA
PORTUGAL

THE ITALIAN HOUSE
- BRIEF HISTORY
The charter letter is dated from 1154 by the
first king of Portugal D. Afonso Henriques to
thirty settlers who inhabited the Sintra Castle.
The same King delivered in 1156 to the
Knights Templar "some good Village houses"
where it is thought to be the place of the
current Café Paris and the Hotel Central.
In the sixteenth century Sintra was
already visited by numerous artists. And
therefore, the construction of summer
houses begins.
In 1755, Sintra, also suffers the effects of the
earthquake that hit Lisbon and it is, therefore,
necessary to rebuild the Old Town.

ONE OF THE MOST
PRESTIGIOUS ESTATES,
WHICH IS NOW PART
OF SINTRA’S HISTORY.
In the nineteenth century, Sintra is the great inspiration for artists and writers,
which increasingly attracted the Nobility and bourgeoisie of that time and
therefore, Palaces, Manor Houses and cottages were constructed.
During this time, The SALDANHA QUINTA is built. One of the most
prestigious estates, which is now part of Sintra’s history.
The Manor house is built in 1830 by the Marquis de Saldanha, Marquis of
Pombal’s grandson, prime minister of King Joseph.
The Noble house is built on the Serra’s northen slope near the Moorish
Castle, with a privileged view of the National Palace of Sintra.

DESIGNED BY AN
ITALIAN ARCHITECT
OF GREAT PRESTIGE
On this farm two houses are built. One in the
upper part, for the Marquis, and the other at
a lower level for his mother.
His mother’s house got the name of ‘Italian
House’ because it was designed by an
Italian architect of great prestige, having
prepared a draft of a semicircular building
and where workers and Italian artists were
employed to paint the frescoes for both the
interior and exterior.
The Marquis de Saldanha was appointed
Ambassador in London, around the year
1840, where he remained some years, and
some historians considered his departure as
an exile to end his career.
At that time the estate was sold to an English
family.
The Italian House returned to the possession
of the Marquis of Pombal’s daughter.

On the ceiling of its entrance porch, you can see
a coat with painted Weapons of his daughter -
Rio Maior Countess - D Amalia de Carvalho Daun
and Lorraine Saldanha Oliveira e Sousa.
The coat of arms has an eagle with a key in his
mouth that comes from weapons of Daun.
It symbolizes the history of the first Earl of Daun,
who was arrested by a rival and imprisoned in a
tower of a castle in Bohemia. To escape, friends
tamed an eagle, teaching it to fly with a key in its
beak to the tower window. Therefore, the First Earl
could open the prison door and flee.

The Italian house was inhabited by several
distinguished personalities during the
possession of the Rio Maior Countess.
Such as, the Duke of Wellington,
the Manperrin family and the great
Portuguese industrial Alfredo da Silva.

At the beginning of the twentieth
century, the Saldanha family returns to
the Italian House. Who then gives the
highest home and a part of the farm
to the Patriarchate of Lisbon and sells
the Italian House to the Stilwell family.
They lived here for a few years, and in
December 1987 sold it to the current
owner. Throughout their stay, interior
and exterior restorations were carried
out in the course of two years.

Ana Paula Gaspar
(+351) 926 135 429
apgaspar@remax.pt
remax.pt/apgaspar
João Pedro
(+351) 927 516 643
jpedro@remax.pt
remax.pt/jpedro
António Augusto de Aguiar Avenue
25 B/C | 1050-010
Lisbon, Portugal