We sometimes associate a city with a certain sentiment and then, when we get to know it, we realise that the topic may be right for the visitor, but not for its inhabitants. Lisbon people are cheerful folk and the nostalgia, the sweet sadness of a Sunday afternoon that overwhelms us when we listen to a ‘fado’, is for them a simple song full of tranquility and deep-seated pleasure.
The sounds of Lisbon are those of the fado and the tinkling of coffee cups on crammed little terraces, the rusty groan of the tram as it heads through the steep, narrow streets of the Alfama district: up on top, from St. George’s Castle the city can be admired in all its extension, normal lives that elapse amidst passionate sentiments. The city offers magnificent monuments, such as the Monastery of the Hieronymites, the Belem Tower and in the Belem district, the Tower of the Discoveries. But also, and above all, little, hidden-away delights that await us on any corner, in any street, in Commerce Square, Rossio Square or on the Rua Augusta, a succession of glass fronts, bookstores, jewellery shops; pleasures for all the senses, sensitivity overflowing. In the Chiado district, where nowadays Portuguese designers congregate – a meeting place for artists since the 19th century – we sit down at the Brasileira café, one of poet Fernando Pessoa’s favourites. The echoes of a distant fado reach us from the interior of a nearby café. Fado has its temple in the Fado Museum, but this music resounds in every corner of Lisbon.
The city rises and descends on the hills sculpted by the Tagus and, if we cross the river, new pleasures await us: in Miradouro de Alcantara we can visit the Port Wine Institute; and also, in any spot, any time we take a rest, we will not forget to sample the famous wines of Alentejo, Ribatejo or Palmela.
