PT RR - Group 80 * Castles/Palaces

Palaces and castles from Portugal, Italy and Belgium. 

Desenho de Jorge Braga da Costa

This is the Anadia Palace, also know as Paes do Amaral Palace in Mangualde. 

The Palace of the counts of Anadia, in Mangualde, has its origins in the 17th century.

In the early 19th century, the palace was known as "House of Paes do Amaral" but, by the marriage of Manuel Paes de Sá do Amaral de Almeida e Vasconcelos Quifel Barbarino, 10th Lord of the House of Paes do Amaral, with his niece Maria Luiza de Sá Pereira de Melo Menezes de Sotomaior, 3rd Countess of Anadia, came to be known as "Anadia Palace".

Several historical figures have passed through this House, as the Marshal Massena, Commander of the French army that invaded Portugal in 1810, for the third time, or the King d. Luis I, who visited him in 1882.

Characterized by a striking western façade, for its 18th century tiles, stonework, and works of painters such as Pellegrini, Giagenti, or Lancelotto, thia palace is one of the most important examples of 18th century manor architecture, and is classified as "Public Property".

The card was sent by Ana Sofia. 

Edizioni I. ANCORA

Zé sent me an italian castle, the Castelvecchio in Verona. 

The building is a large square compound made out of red bricks and is an impressive example of Gothic architecture. One of the most noteworthy features of the castle is its imposing M-shaped merlons which run along the walls of the bridge and the castle itself. There are seven towers in the castle along with a maschio or a super elevated keep. Inside are four main buildings. Castelvecchio is surrounded by a ditch that is now dry. When the castle was first built, the moat was filled with water from the nearby Adige. 

The castle and nearby bridge were built by Lord Cangrande II della Scala. 

 The castle was constructed as a deterrent to attack by powerful neighbors like the Sforzas and Gonzagas and the city state of Venice.

The construction of the castle started in 1354 and Cangrande died in 1359, before it was completed. The fortified bridge over the Adige was designed to let the castle's inhabitants escape north to Tyrol in case of a rebellion or a coup d'etat.

During the time of Venetian rule in the area slits were added to the structure to allow defence by cannons. The fortress was badly damaged during the Napoleonic Wars and Napoleon himself stayed in the castle many times when he visited Verona. Under the later rule of the Austrians the castle was used as barracks and was later restored in 1923.

Castelvecchio today is home to the Castelvecchio museum. - in: http://www.lifeinitaly.com/content/castelvecchio-verona

© Uitg. Thill

Yes, another Het Steen castle card. But don't worry, i won't write about the castle again. I'll just say that the statue of a giant and two humans at the entrance bridge to the castle, depicts the giant Lange Wapper who used to terrorise the inhabitants of the city in medieval times.

The card was sent by Lieve.