Vila Sassetti

Vila Sassetti is located on the north side of Sintra’s hill and is considered one of the most beautiful and least known places in Sintra.

The circular tower in the Romanesque Lombard style, in terracotta tones, reflects a unique Mediterranean aesthetic. The turreted  structure lies in perfect symbiosis with the majestic garden, which transforms the space into a perfect setting of fusion between two universes.

The pedestrian path that crosses the property and which connects to the Historic Center of Sintra to the Moorish Castle (1850 meters/45 minutes) and the Pena Palace (2250 m/1h00), is one of the most surprising paths in Sintra.

History

The history of this place began in 1885 with the acquisition of this land by Victor Carlos Sassetti (1851-1915), born in Sintra and eternally in love with it. In this site, he built his house as a summer refuge, inspired by the castles of Lombardy, and the garden that surrounds it.

The works of this revivalist project began in 1890, developed with the help of his friend Luigi Manini, architect and scenographer who designed, among others, Quinta da Regaleira.

The 1.2 hectares that make up this corner were imagined by these two friends, inspired by the Lombard castles, in northern Italy, the region where the architect (Crema) and the Sasseti family came from, and with the aim of creating the perfect symbiosis between natural and built space.

The garden seeks a scenographic aesthetic, along a winding path, crossed by an artificial water line, expressing a deep relationship of harmony between architecture and landscape.

After the death of Victor Sassetti, the place was leased to the Armenian millionaire Calouste Gulbenkian, between 1920 and 1955, and later, to Isabel Armanda Luísa Real. The newly built built Casa do Caseiro and enlarged the main building, adding the current building and sanitary facilities. It is around this time that Vila changes its name, changing its name to Quinta da Amizade.

In 1979, the property was sold to Isabel Maria Castro Santos and, in 1984, the villa changed hands again, becoming the property of Sara Gabriel Teixeira Albergaria, who carried out some renovation works in this place.

In 2004 the property is acquired by the City Hall and a few years later, in 2011, Vila Sasseti is preserved by Parques de Sintra displayed with an adjacent property, with the aim of its heritage value and to provide a new pedestrian access from the Historic Center to the Pena Palace / Moorish Castle (as an alternative to the Pena ramp.

In this sense, the company carried out several interventions on the exterior of the main building of Vila Sassetti, in the annex buildings and also in the recovery of its gardens.