In the 1930s, the Count of Vizela wanted to make changes to his 18-hectare property in the city of Porto and so he called upon to the most prestigious names of the Portuguese arts. The house was built at the highest point of the estate by the architect, Marques da Silva, and is surrounded by gardens to the south and west. The gardens were restored and redesigned by the French landscape architect, Jacques Gréber, (1882-1962), who remodelled the layout of the gardens in a geometric form. The south garden is built around an axis about 500 metres long, along which there are terraces on different levels and water features. In the garden to the west, the avenue of American sweetgums (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) is a highlight. In 1968, this estate was acquired by the Portuguese State. It has been owned by the Serralves Foundation since 1989 and both the museum and the garden are open to the public.
