At this event we'll get to know the Marquês de Fronteira Palace and its beautiful gardens “inside out”, on a guided tour lasting approximately 1.5 hours. In addition to this guided tour, we'll also have our usual walking programme, which includes a walk through the green lung of the city of Lisbon: Monsanto. A Saturday morning filled with culture and physical activity.

Marquês de Fronteira Palace:

The palace consists of a 17th-century main body to which a wing was added in the 18th century. The main body consists, in outline, of a rectangle in which there are four towers, slightly projecting outwards, two of which actually exist and are called Torrinhas, and the other two are residual and have only left traces at the west corners of the north and south façades. The Terrace, or Arts Gallery, breaks the basic rectangle, from the 17th century onwards, as it extends towards the Chapel, forming a very open obtuse angle of 135º with its south wall. It is this break with the perfectly traditional basic layout, which is due to the pre-existence of the Chapel and the boldness of those who conceived the project, that makes this house unique in the history of architecture, in addition to the tile coverings and, to a lesser extent, the cladding and the profusion of statuary.

The 18th century wing is perpendicular to the north façade. On its west side, which faces the Sítio do Barcal, the façade of the 18th century wing is longer than on the east and extends into another facing north-west with which it forms an obtuse angle of 140.

There are, however, several other architectural elements.

Among those adjacent to the house, the following stand out: the terrace on the east façade, bordered by a full-length balustrade, with the exception of the interruption caused by the staircase that gives access to the Formal Garden, and the one on the south façade, which gives access to the Upper Garden and is topped by the Carranquinha Fountain.

Among those integrated into the gardens or vegetable patch, the following stand out:

The Formal Garden, bounded to the west, north and east by three tiled walls and, to the south, by the Knights' Tank and the Kings' Gallery.

The so-called Jardim de Cima or Jardim de Vénus is on a higher level than the Jardim Formal and is made up of a rectangle, close to a square, and another roughly rectangular space, quite elongated, which is topped by the ensemble made up of the Tanque dos Ss and Casa da Água or Casa do Fresco. Today it's a garden with boxwood trees and flowerbeds, a far cry from what it would have been like in its origins.

The Ninfeu or Tanque dos Pretos, which is on a higher level than the Garden of Venus, roughly the same level as the Terrace, forms an irregular trapezoid. It consists of a tank, currently divided into two parts, one of which is the swimming pool, surrounded by a space that allows you to go round it. To the south and west it is bordered by a wall about 3 metres high, with niches in which there are 10 lead sculptures representing minor deities.

Walking:

After the visit to the Marquês de Fronteira Palace, we'll go for our usual walk through the Monsanto park, approximately 7 kilometres long.