Jardim do Palácio Fronteira

In the quiet Benfica district of Lisbon, the garden of the Palácio Fronteira is one of the most beautiful survivals of the seventeenth century in Portugal. Orderly box hedges, fountains and walls clothed in azulejos surround the palace of the Marquesses of Fronteira, still a family home and now a museum-house open to visitors.

History and character

Built from 1670 for D. João de Mascarenhas, first Marquis of Fronteira, the garden belonged to the tradition of the Portuguese country estate built for leisure and display. Its formal garden, with five fountains, the tank of the Knights and the gallery of the Kings, preserves one of the largest sets of seventeenth-century tiles still in their original setting.

What to see

• The formal garden, with hedges, fountains and mythological statues.
• The azulejo panels, with battle scenes, the liberal arts and the months of the year.
• The terrace of the arts and the chapel of the palace.
• The upper garden, with the so-called house of the fresco and the tank of the Ss.

Best time to visit

Spring and early summer are the most pleasant seasons for the garden walk, when the box hedges and the fountains are at their best. The palace interior is visited on guided tours, and the gardens can be visited independently at set hours.

Nearby

The palace stands beside the Parque Florestal de Monsanto, the green heart of Lisbon, in a calm quarter away from the tourist routes.

Visiting

The Palácio Fronteira is at Largo de São Domingos de Benfica, in Lisbon, near the Jardim Zoológico metro station. Visits to the palace interiors are guided and the gardens keep their own hours; check the foundation’s website before your visit.

Information: fronteira-alorna.pt.

Image credit: Garden of Palácio dos Marqueses de Fronteira, by Kent Wang, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.