At 488 meters above Sintra. It sits in a place most visitors never find.

The Sanctuary of Peninha. A baroque chapel, a ruined hermitage and a small unfinished palace. All standing on a rocky outcrop with views stretching all the way to the Atlantic.

The chapel itself was built on legend. A deaf and mute shepherd claimed to have seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary on the hill. A place of worship has existed here ever since. With the old, large stones, it is built upon itself, intriguing us with an even older use.

But the palace tells a different story.

António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro. The same eccentric, mystical man behind the Quinta da Regaleira. Bought this site and began constructing his vision in 1918. His dream was a smaller version of the Palácio da Pena. Even the names hint at this. Pena, meaning rock outcrop. Peninha. The smaller one.

He never saw it finished. He died before completion. The palace still stands. Empty. Unfinished. Open to the wind.

Some dreams outlive their dreamers.