Tourists climb the ramparts of Castelo dos Mouros.
A popular day trip from Lisbon Portugal is the Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Sintra is known for its 19th-century Romantic architecture. In the woody hills surrounding the old town center are numerous fanciful villas, royal retreats, estates, and castles. Though Sintra is celebrated as the 19th Century playground of the aristocracy, human history in the area dates to much earlier times. Indeed, one of the more popular tourist attractions in the area, the Castle of the Moors, dates to Moors rule in the 8th Century.
On a hilltop and surrounded by forest, the rock walls Castelo dos Mouros once formed a formidable defense. Today the fort offers little resistance against the onslaught of the modern tourist. Each day hordes of selfie-stick brandishing visitors storm the castle and roam the ramparts. It is an onslaught that the Moors could never have anticipated.
The Castle of the Moors viewed from Pena National Palace.
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