Parque Florestal de Monsanto

This guide to Parque Florestal de Monsanto in Lisbon traces how a barren, quarry-stripped hillside above the city became a thousand-hectare forest, planted by hand from 1934 onward by farmers, soldiers, and prisoners from the hilltop fort, on the order of Minister Duarte Pacheco. You'll hear about the fort that still stands hidden in the canopy, and about an unlikely chapter in the 1950s when these winding roads hosted a Formula One Grand Prix. Listen for the traffic fading beneath the trees as you walk the paths.