LISBON

The Portuguese capital is a beautiful city located in the south-western corner of Europe.
It is located on various hills, apart from the lower area.
You immediately notice the fortified castle of San Jorge which was the residence of the Portuguese kings for about 400 years. The visit allows you to see few interesting things, mostly the gardens and the panoramic view of the lower part.
It is located in the Alfama district, one of the best known which can be reached by yellow tram 28 which allows a ride through half the city.
On the other side, the Barrio Alto which attracts many visitors in the evening who want to dine in the small restaurants based on Bacalao, i.e. the cod for which the Portuguese know 365 recipes and you eat while listening to the sad fado music sung by a singer who accompanies himself with a classical guitar. The great artist of this music was Amalia Rodriguez made known by two international hits “una casa portoguesa” and “Coimbra”.

Instead, down there is the small town with the large Praca do Comercio which overlooks the sea and is interrupted only by a tall yellow door.
Other attractions of Lisbon are the Belem Tower which is located on the Tagus estuary, it was a finely sculpted watchtower and defense tower. Not far away is the San Geronimo monastery in Manueline style with a large internal cloister with azulejos, blue tiles with various designs and scenes and a large façade finely embroidered on the outside.

There is also the Santa Justa metal elevator that takes you from the lower city to the upper barrio and arrives at a panoramic terrace.
Then there is the XXV April bridge which crosses the Tagus estuary and commemorates the date of the Carnation Revolution which in 1973, therefore 50 years ago, brought the end to Salazar’s dictatorship and the beginning of Portuguese democracy.

Other attractions of Lisbon are the tall statue on the southern bank of the Tagus estuary which represents the Cristo Rei and recalls the statue of Christ the Redeemer which is located in the Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro which in fact was inspired by that of Lisbon, then the monument dedicated to explorers-navigators such as Bartolomeo Diaz and Ferdinand Magellan, also near the Tagus estuary.
A large aquarium with four enormous tanks containing fish from four oceans.
Finally, the Palazzo de Ajuda which since 1800 was the royal palace, restored and which is made up of 35 finely furnished rooms and a fabulous banquet room beyond the throne room, worth seeing.

In addition to cod, I recommend a good glass of Port wine, the second city in the country which is located towards the center of the west coast.
Then a pastela di nata, that is, a cream pastry and a ginginha, a very good cherry cherry that you drink in a corner bar in Piazza del Commercio.
If you have time, go north to see the many beautiful towns on the coast such as Sintra which has sumptuous royal palaces and important churches or Cascais where our former king Umberto, the grandfather of Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, lived. Now his former palace which was called Italia has become a hotel.
If you want to have a beach holiday you have to go south, to the Algarve full of white towns and beautiful beaches, passing through Setubal, Mourinho’s native city.
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