West of Lisbon, less than two hours by bus, the sublime baroque convent-palace of Mafra is the symbol of Portugal’s unbridled opulance following the discovery of diamonds in Brazil. As the bank balance became ever more healthy, so Dom João V and his famed German architect Ludovice became evermore ambitious. Its original humble vocation as a monastery for Franciscan monks was soon usurped by thrifty João’s desires for a palace to rival El Escorial close to Madrid. Down-at-heel Mafra offers little else to detain, but just 10 km lie the gusty surfing beaches of Ericeira, Lisbon’s Newquay, a surfing mecca with a charming but rapidly developing old town. Mafra is 40 km northwest of Lisbon. Mafrense buses depart hourly from Campo Grande and Martim Moniz in Lisbon (1 hr 45 mins-2 hrs). E2.70. Ericeira is 50 km northwest of Lisbon, 10 km from Mafra. There are no direct rail services but buses leave Martim Moniz hourly (1 hr). E3.20. There are also hourly buses from Sintra (1 hr). Touisprai buses run from Ericeira to Ribeira das llhas to the north and Lizando to the south. The tourist office is on Largo de Santa Marta, T 261 863 122. SightsPalácio Nacional de MafraDaily 1000-1700, closed Tue. E3. Construction of this magnificent baroque convent-palace began in 1717 to fulfil Dom João V’s vow that if his wife Queen Mariana gave him an heir he would build a convent. With the arrival of Princess Bárbara and with the coffers full, the king set out to honour God and to satisfy his own lavish ambitions and dreams of immortality. Other versions of the tale claim that the palace was built as penance for Dom João’s sexual ardour. More than 52,000 workmen drafted from all over the world were involved in its construction - quite something when you consider that a mere 20,000 were involved in the building of the Taj Mahal - and it was finally inaugurated in 1730. The interior is an eye-popping medley of baroque extravagance, dripping with marble and adorned with statues carved by the greatest Italian masters of the day. The rococo library, with a colossal collection of 36,000 books, includes a first edition of Portugal’s national epic, Camões’ As Lusíadas. Most of the sumptuous fittings were taken with the king when he fled from Napoleon to Brazil in 1807 but the remaining huge bells were the palace’s most costly embellishement. Cast in Belgium in 1730 and renovated in 1993, they really were worth their weight in gold. Every Sunday at 1600 you can hear carillon concerts. The bells certainly tolled for one monarch, King Manuel II, who was the last Portuguese monarch to sleep in the palace before he escaped to England shortly before the declaration of the republic. EriceiraEriceira, draped above the clifftops with narrow cobbled streets, white-washed houses and kitsch Christmas decorations manages to cling rather tentatively to its traditional village status. It was here in 1586 that one Mateus Álvares falsely declared himself to be King Sebastião (the real King Sebastião was missing, presumed dead, on a crusading mission in Ceuta) and went wholeheartedly into regal character before he was arrested and sentenced to death. Nowadays, Ericeira is more famed amongst Euro surfers for its great rollers and with weekending Lisboetas for its supurb seafood, and mariqueiras. There is a variety of beaches, small sheltered coves and more expansive ribbons of creamy sands, lined with shaggy peaked cliffs, breezey surfing enclaves, splattered with iodized kelp and peopled by a high dude contingent. Ribeira das llhas, lying between Ericiera and Ribamar (3 km from Ericeira centre, near the village of Santo Isidoro) is fêted as one of the best surfing spots in Europe and has hosted the World Surfing championships since 1985.
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Lisbon - £5.99
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