
The Sintra Mountains ( pt, Serra de Sintra), is a mountain range in western
Portugal. Its highest point is at 529 meters (1,736 ft) near
Sintra. The range covers about 16 kilometers (10 mi) from the resort town of Sintra to ''(Cape Roca)'' on the
Atlantic Ocean. It was known to the Ancient World as Lunae Mons (mountain of the Moon) and was the legendary retreat of
Diana the Huntress (known as Cynthia to the Romans, from the Greek ''Κύνθια'', hence Çintra).
It has a rich fauna, foxes, genet, moles, salamanders, peregrine falcons, vipers and various species of scaly reptiles. Its climate is temperate with many oceanic influences and hence presents a higher rainfall than the remaining area of Lisbon. It also has a unique vegetation. About nine hundred plant species are indigenous, ten percent of which are endemic. Namely oak, cork oak and pine wood.
It is the target of several sightseeing tours. It is also visited by climbing and mountaineering practitioners, since the slopes are mostly oriented to the west, which increases the length of light in summer afternoons.
In it are located: the
Moorish Castle
The Moorish Castle is the name given to a medieval fortification in Gibraltar comprising various buildings, gates, and fortified walls, with the dominant features being the Tower of Homage and the Gate House. Part of the castle itself also house ...
, the
Pena Palace, the Capuchin Convent, the
Sintra National Palace, the
Palace of Monserrate and the
Quinta da Regaleira.
Since long ago it has been a place full of myths and legends about supernatural activities and ones without obvious explanation. In 2009 a Portuguese television channel created a television series
Lua Vermelha
''Lua Vermelha'' (lit. ''Red Moon'') is a Portuguese teen television series about vampires that aired on SIC. Produced in partnership with SP TV, ''Lua Vermelha'' premiered on January 31, 2010, airing on the weekends at 9:00 p.m. The series f ...
based on the supernatural environment that lived in Sintra.
[Official Site: ] The story, set in a college in the middle of the mountain tells of an impossible love between a vampire and a human girl, but she also had supernatural powers, discovered throughout the episodes.
References
Mountain ranges of Portugal
Cascais
Sintra
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