The day I arrived, the Portuguese national parks service announced that all but one of Sintra’s palaces would be closed due ...

It's no wonder Rick Steves calls it "the Versailles of Portugal." A visit to Sintra is invitation to step into a living fairy tale and check out some of Steves' favorite castles in Europe.

A Portuguese village ... Portugal. Several people had died. Sintra was not directly under threat, but the dry conditions meant any spark could ignite the Unesco-listed town. The fate of my castle ...