Fundação da Casa de Mateus

This is not deja vu. You’ve seen this place before, either in a TV commercial years ago or on the label of Mateus wine from Portugal.
This enormous estate is really worth seeing, even if just to walk around it and enjoy its beautiful gardens. From an architectural perspective, it is uniquely Portuguese. In terms of its horticulture and gardens, it’s sad that gardens and grounds like this are rarely crafted anymore. Both the estate (more than a casa) and the grounds are indeed treasures.
It is not near Lisbon. It is in the country’s north, about an hour or so northeast of Porto. During the summer, since it’s inland and Porto’s air conditioning is shut off by the hills further up the Douro Valley, it can be toasty here. I’m guessing the mercury was at about 100 F (or 39 C) that day, so you will want to dress for the occasion since it involves some walking. Also, note that it can be cool and damp here in the winter months.
As a side note, visiting the town of Vila Real also calls for an easy side trip to the nearby town of Amarante as well. There, the river winds through town and there is a large bridge with a pointed arch in front of the church of Sao Goncalo. Also, since there are these pastries created in this town in honor of the feast of Sao Goncalo, duck into a shop and pick one up to munch on.
One should go here if they are planning to spend some time in the Porto area. The only demerit is that it is not that close to Porto and, unlike regional towns like Viana do Castelo, getting to Vila Real and Amarante isn’t as easy since they don’t have CP national trains going there.