Quinta da Regaleira

Quinta da Regaleira is an estate located near the historic center of Sintra, Portugal. It is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO within the "Cultural Landscape of Sintra". Along with other palaces in this area (such as the Pena, Monserrate and Seteais palaces), it is one of the principal tourist attractions of Sintra. It consists of a romantic palace and chapel, and a luxurious park featuring lakes, grottoes, wells, benches, fountains, and a vast array of exquisite constructions. The palace is also known as "Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire", from the nickname of its first owner, António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro.

The initiation Wells (or initiatic wells or inverted towers) are two wells, a larger one and a smaller one, that descend into the ground like underground towers lined with stairs. These wells do not serve as water sources, but were purely recreational, serving in Tarot initiation rites. The tunnels described above connect these wells to each other and to various caves or monuments around the park. Of the two wells, the larger one contains a 27 meter spiral staircase spaced by small landings. The spacing of these landings, combined with the number of steps in the stairs are linked to Tarot mysticism. The smaller well has straight stairs that connect ring-shaped floors levels with one another. This well is also called the 'unfinished well.' A structure similar to these wells is the Pozzo di S. Patrizio in Italy.