Madeira, Portugal
Situated some 800 km from the African coast and 1000 km from Portugal, Madeira is an island (almost) lost in the Atlantic, which has also developed thanks to its port of call, important for crossings between Europe and the African and American continents. Even today, the port of Funchal is busy with cruise ships. As […]
Madeira, Portugal
Located to the west of Funchal, the small fishing town of Câmara de Lobos has preserved its colorful boats, white houses with green shutters and stray cats that scurry around the narrow streets. Familiar with the area in the 1950s, Winston Churchill liked to paint the harbor from the belvedere at the entrance to the […]
Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon’s main boulevard, the Avenue of Liberty, begins at an oval-shaped square known as the Restauradores square. At its center stands a large obelisk, the Restoration Monument, erected in 1886 to commemorate the restoration of Portugal’s independence from Spain in 1640. The largest and most important building lining the Restauradores square is the Palácio Foz, […]
Lisbon, Portugal
Discover the final resting place of illustrious Portuguese over the centuries, the National Pantheon. Built in the 16th century by Infanta Dona Maria, daughter of D. Manuel I, the Church of Santa Engrácia was never used as a place of worship. It was this church that gave rise to the expression “the works of Santa […]
Lisbon, Portugal
The Portuguese Parliament meets in the São Bento Palace, originally built as a monastery for Benedictine monks. Indeed, in 1598, the Benedictines began construction of a new monastery to accommodate their rapidly growing community. But in 1834, when the religious orders were suppressed, the government confiscated it and installed the Portuguese parliament there. The most […]
Lisbon, Portugal
The National Museum of Antique Art, or MNAA (Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga), opened in 1884 in a 17th-century palace, is Portugal’s largest picture gallery, with the highest number of national treasures. Among the most emblematic works are Jerome Bosch’s “Temptation of St. Anthony” triptych and Dürer’s “St. Jerome”, but the most impressive is undoubtedly […]
Lisbon, Portugal
The Monastery of the Hieronymites (“Monasteiro dos Jerónimos” in Portuguese) is one of Lisbon’s architectural wonders. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. It is located in the Belém district, at the level of Lisbon’s old port. Like the nearby Belém Tower, this monastery is a faithful reminder of Portugal’s opulence […]
Lisbon, Portugal
The Carmo Convent is located on Largo do Carmo in Lisbon, Portugal. It overlooks the Rossio. The ruins of the Igreja do Carmo (Carmelite Church) are a reminder of the devastation caused by the 1755 earthquake, which destroyed most of downtown Lisbon. The church façade features a portal with several smooth archivolts and decorated capitals. […]
Lisbon, Portugal
Overlooking Lisbon in spectacular fashion, the fortifications of Castelo de São Jorge, perched on a hill, feature in almost every shot of the city. Built by the Visigoths in the 5th century, enlarged by the Moors in the 9th century, then modified during the reign of Alphonse Henriques, the castle is now a pleasant flower […]
Lisbon, Portugal
Proudly standing at the mouth of the Tagus, in Lisbon’s ancient port, The Tower of Belém, a major symbol of Manueline art, bears witness to the great Portuguese era. Listed as a World Heritage Site, it was built between 1514 and 1520 to protect the entrance to the port, as well as access to the […]