In the 17th and 18th centuries, in the great European courts, the spirit of reception, apparatus, festivity and representation of power prevailed. Inspired by the surrounding models, Simão Paes do Amaral, Lord of the “Casa de Mangualde”, had the family homes reformulated and transformed into a characteristically Baroque Palace, whose purpose was based on the art of hospitality.
The guests – distinguished, family and friends – were ceremoniously received inside the Palace, fully adapted for this purpose. The high reception portal, surmounted by the family coat of arms, was strategically facing the main avenue of the village, allowing the entrance of coaches and litters, harnessed to horses and mules. Once alighted, they were received by the Lords of the House, with their clothes and accessories always in order, as dictated by the rules of good hospitality. Facing them was the imposing Royal Staircase, in two flights, which was intended to provoke astonishment through the 18th century blue and white tile panels, with the representation of mythological, venatory and equestrian themes aiming at the exaltation of the role and status of the noble society. However, they were simultaneously overwhelmed by the tiles, the verticality and polychromy of the ceilings, the paintings and the work of the arches, windows and doors, as if it were an illusory ritual of passage to the noble floor of the house, where all the celebrations vividly took place. .
On the main floor, the guests were distributed among the different rooms and halls depending on the occasion. The Living Rooms invite you to rest from long journeys, in the wide armchairs and settees, while you enjoy the spiced teas from the Gardens, or the hot chocolate, true stewardship of the time. The more curious ones, promoted leisure and culture at the library, visiting the unique and distinct copies that accompanied the history and evolution of the Pais do Amaral family. In the Great Hall, in an environment richly decorated under a mythological ode, decrees and credentials of greater importance for the house, the town and even the Kingdom were solemnly signed, by the hands of Kings and Queens so particularly received. At mealtime, guests were gathered in the typically Pompeian Dining Room. The table, in the center, of great length, allowed the arrangement around it always in even numbers, to bring luck to the businesses that were usually discussed. The gentlemen had high chairs carved into the back, allowing them a prominent place at the table. The ladies sat in richly decorated chairs with oval cutouts to gently set down their pompous and decorated hairstyles with the large pointed pins. As for the places, the menu was served according to the hunt of the day, as a reason for celebration, in the most important service of the family, always identified by the monogram – PA of Pais do Amaral.
Final honors were finally held in the Ballroom, where the family provided large parties, balls, and concerts. In the background, the French piano melodiously interspersed with the laughter, the subtle waving of the fans, the toasting of the glasses and the glint of the curious and intriguing tile panel, a reflection of the century and the spirit of the lights. Entertainment, criticism, conversation, the dynamic spirit of the spectacle of the senses reigned in the room – a total art: the art of hospitality.