The European tourist attraction that ‘looks like it’s from Star Wars’
A European tourist attraction has been compared to an idyllic planet from the Star Wars films.
Naboo is described as “a lush world of mostly green terrain” with cities filled with “classic architecture.”
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Although the planet is fictional, there is one place that tourists can visit that is said to be very similar to it.
Visiting Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, Portugal, Tiktoker Wyseax (@wyseax) could not help but notice some similarities.
In her video They described that the castle exudes a “Naboo atmosphere” due to the mixture of architecture and greenery.
The four-hectare property was built by Italian architect Luigi Manini in the early 1900s.
It is believed that symbols of alchemy, freemasonry, the knights templar and rosicrucians are hidden in its buildings.
It also houses fountains, grottos, statues, caves and ponds, all connected both above ground via pathways and below ground through a network of tunnels, now lit by fairy lights.
The comparisons with Naboo are clear, with the Star Wars Database He describes the fictional land as “marshy lakes, rolling plains and green hills”.
The description goes on to say, “The population centers are beautiful – the river towns of Naboo are full of classical architecture and lots of greenery.”
Quinta da Regaleira is also built on rolling hills, making the comparison even more apt.
Wyseax’s video has been viewed more than 6,000 times since it was shared with many people excited about the attraction.
One wrote: “I have to live here.”
Another said: “It’s beautiful.”
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Despite the obvious similarities, the films about Naboo were actually shot in Italy at the Palazzo Reale in Naples and the Villa del Balbianello in Lombardy.
The latter overlooks Lake Como and has retained its film heritage by offering Star Wars-themed weddings on-site.
wedding photographer Cristiano Ostinelli shared photos of a wedding they took at the mansion with Darth Vader and stormtroopers.
Other famous Star Wars filming locations include Wadi Rum in Jordan, Sidi Bouhlel Canyon in Tunisia and Tikal National Park in Guatemala.
However, there are a few UK film locations that can be visited, including one that was briefly used on Naboo.
RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire was used in two Star Wars films as a Resistance base on the planet D’Qar.
Fans may recognize it in both the 2015 film The Force Awakens and the 2017 film The Last Jedi.
Whippendell Wood in Watford was in two scenes in The Phantom Menace but you have to be quick to spot him.
The opening scenes, in which Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi meet Jar Jar Binks, were filmed on the 165-acre property, which also served as the backdrop for Gungan Sacred Place on Naboo.
Now this pub has attracted visitors from all over the world because it was featured in a popular TV show.
And this UK city is regularly used as a double for cities in America.
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