Gulbenkian or Santa Gertrudes Park

A small medieval realm on the city's doorstep. That's exactly what the businessman José Maria Eugénio de Almeida envisioned in the São Sebastião area, in an old estate and palace that survive today within the Gulbenkian Gardens.

São Sebastião was no more than a mere suburb until 1852 when the Circumvalation Road was built, turning this area into a true "gateway to the city". The businessman saw an opportunity there and acquired the Quinta da Provedora and the São Sebastião Palace, properties of Fernando Larre, the Provedor of the Indian Warehouses.

And so, a residential complex was built, stretching from the Eugénio de Almeida Palace to Santa Gertrudes Park, where a second neoclassical building stands, complete with stables and horse stalls designed by the Italian architect Giuseppe Cinatti. Over the years, Santa Gertrudes Park hosted the Lisbon Zoo, the Palhavã Velodrome, the Lisbon Popular Fair, and finally, the Gulbenkian Gardens.

It's worth visiting them, seeking traces of that ancient realm…