The Romanticism Extension is installed in the Quinta da Macieirinha, also known as the Quinta do Sacramento, an old country house built in the 18th century that belonged to the Pinto Basto family. The building opened as a museum centre in 1972, aimed at showcasing the atmosphere of a nineteenth century bourgeois home – a characteristic period in the history of Porto.

After the architectural intervention by Camilo Rebelo, and restoration works of several important items from the collection, the Romanticism Extension reopened in 2017. 

In 2021, a new museological project was born. It was reopen in the context of the Porto Book Fair, the theme of the natural world was the motto, creative inspiration, energy and fire that fuelled the romantic literary and artistic production, that is the backdrop to the inauguration of the Romanticism Extension, When the Green of the Earth will Glisten for You Anew.

In 2022, the installation METAMORPHOSES – Vegetable, Mineral and Animal Immanence in the Romantic Domestic Space convenes a wide set of pieces, some previously shown in the old Romantic Museum and other spaces of the Porto City Museum, others never before exhibited, evidencing the indisputable quality and diversity of municipal collections.

This is the central station of the romanticism axis and fosters a reflection into its impact and influence on the city of Porto. The sound axis and the nature axis also intersect in the Romanticism Extension, due to the integration in a green area that consists of the Gardens of the Palácio Cristal and the Gardens of the Casa Tait, offering wide views over the river and the sea.