Lisbon

26-01-2009

Par Georges Rouzeau

Lady Lisbon’s devotees - there are untold thousands of them - speak of ‘their’ city with a wistful eye. O how we understand them: a town of river and sea, noisy and secretive, popular and cultivated, Portugal’s capital is endlessly surprising.

Illuminated by the Mediterranean sun and cooled by the ocean breeze, Lisbon is a city of contrasts. Naturally, she holds numerous museums and monuments which bear witness to her glorious Phoenician, Roman and Moorish past, but the heart of the modern city beats loudest in her bairros or popular districts. Best, then, to lose yourself amongst her alleyways and passages, wandering freely from tavern to roadside café... Like a fado melody tinged with the nostalgic longing called saudade, Lisbon is brimming with emotion.

© G. Rouzeau/ViaMichelin

Torre de Belém

The Belém Tower has become the symbol of the city of Lisbon; it evokes the glorious past of great maritime expeditions and discoveries as sung by Luís de Camões in the Lusiads. Once situated in the middle of the Tagus, the tower cum fortress was built to defend the mouth of the river and the Hieronymites monastery. It subsequently served as an arsenal, a prison, a customs tax office and a residence for port captains. This architectural gem was built 1515 in the Manueline style, though certain features, such as the loggias and double-bay, or gemel, windows, were inspired by the Venetian renaissance.

© G. Rouzeau/ViaMichelin

Hieronymites Monastery

Astonishing! This great vessel carved from magnificent light-coloured, smooth stone is an ode to Creation. Admire the richness and profusion of the mouldings, with their marine motifs (anchor chains, jellyfish, seagrass, shellfish, coral, ropes, busts of Africans and sailors, leaves, grapes, pineapples, armillary spheres, grotesques...): you can spend hour upon hour just drinking it all in. Dedicated to the Order of St. Jerome, the Hieronymites Monastery, built between 1496 and 1572, is considered the chef d’oeuvre of Manueline art. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, along with the tower of Belèm.

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Cenotaph of Luís de Camões

As you enter the Church of Santa Maria, to the right under the choir loft, or coro alto, you’ll find the neo-Manuelian cenotaph of the great poet Luís de Camões. Topped by a laurel crown, his gisant lies with hands held in prayer. In The Lusiads (1572), Camões recounted the epic journeys of Vasco de Gama in the style of Homer’s Odyssey; he was also the bard of the Great Age of Discovery, singing the glories of the Portuguese kingdom.

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The cloister of the Hieronymites monastery

The architectural splendour of the Hieronymitesmonastery cloister equals that of its facade. This magnum opus of Manueline art is set ablaze in late afternoon thanks to the warm golden tones of its stone. The perfect moment to sit and read a passage by author and Portuguese national hero Fernando Pessoa, whose remains repose under the arches.

© G. Rouzeau/ViaMichelin

Museu Calouste Gulbenkian

A great patron of the arts who made his fortune in Middle Eastern oil, Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, of Armenian descent, acquired an outstanding collection of masterpieces spanning several thousand years of artistic creation. An exceptional collector, Gulbenkian was particularly fond of medieval Asian art; a visit to his foundation is a highlight of any sojourn in Lisbon.

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The roofs of Lisbon

A city with a rather baffling physical layout, Lisbon resembles an amphitheatre covering seven hills. With her many inclines and convoluted passages, Lisbon offers splendid panoramic views which are earned by an arduous climb! Small squares, terraces and miradouro (like the belvedere of São Pedro de Alcântara) overlook the Tagus, the ocean, the port, the rooftops of the Alfama, as well as the countless alleys and bell towers of the old city with her medieval, Mediterranean visage...

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Praça do Comércio

A stone’s throw from the Tagus, here is Commerce Square, austere and elegant in its saffron-coloured livery. Many Lisbon natives still call it the Terreiro do Paço, Palace Court, in homage to the royal palace destroyed by the terrible earthquake of 1755.

Praça do Comércio

French author Valery Larbaud unhesitatingly declared that it is Europe’s finest square. It is lined on three sides by the classical buildings which house the stock exchange and several ministries.

The tram

The tram is one of Lisbon’s most emblematic ‘characters’ and an excellent means of discovering the city and its bairros. Take a seat and enjoy the sights of laundry drying on lines by the windows, tiny squares, little cafés, grocery shops, wandering peddlers, shoeshine stands, flower vendors and people doing all manner of odd jobs...

The botanic garden

A haven of serenity in the heart of the bairro alto! The botanic garden is the perfect place to take a refreshing break or unpack a picnic in the middle of a city which can be hectic, noisy and often jam-packed with traffic. Created on a hillside in 1873, the Jardim Botânico is reputedly one of Europe’s finest; it is especially known for its extensive collection of subtropical flora.

The Sé Cathedral

The grandest of Lisbon’s Romanesque monuments, the cathedral has preserved its military allure, as witnessed by the crenels and the facade’s twin towers. Oft renovated, especially after the earthquake of 1755 which felled the choir and the lantern atop the transept crossing, the Cathedral is one gateway to the popular Alfama quarter located on the south side of a hill which tumbles toward the Tagus. The Alfama is the best-known and oldest part of the city, the symbol of a popular, intimate Lisbon made of medieval passages, labyrinths, courtyards and blind alleys...

Lisbon

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