From the garden to the grave – three dark sites related to the legend of Pedro and Inês

Research reveals that the legend of King Pedro I and Inês de Castro significantly enhances the attractiveness of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites—Santa Clara a Velha's Church, Quinta da Lágrimas, and Alcobaça Monastery—by leveraging literary resonances from Luís Vaz de Camões' The Lusiads. The study found that all three sites exploit this legend for place branding, with Alcobaça Monastery standing out as the darkest due to its macabre appeal, overshadowing its literary associations. Quinta da Lágrimas combines both literary and macabre elements effectively. The analysis integrated interpretive readings of spaces, destination marketing organization (DMO) strategies, and TripAdvisor ratings to assess how these sites position themselves and attract visitors.

Pascoal, S., Tallone, L., & Furtado, M. (2024). From the garden to the grave – three dark sites related to the legend of Pedro and Inês. Tourism and Heritage Journal, 5, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1344/thj.2023.5.1