What you need to know about Setúbal!

The town of Setúbal is attractive with many pedestrian streets, gardens and interesting shops. Relax on quiet beaches listening to the calm waves of the estuary and the sounds of birdlife in the vegetation. The natural splendor and regional produce  are there waiting for you.  This quaint wee village has local specialty: “ Tortas de Azeitão “, washed down with a little drop of “Licor de Moscatel ”.  Given the opportunity, one would be a fool to miss out on  the octopus salad and “Chocos Fritos ” (fried cuttlefish).

 

I think you will agree with me that Setubal have many great things for you to experience!

The Museu de Setúbal has many religious items and paintings. This museum houses collections related to art, history, archeology. Part of the collection is dedicated to the famous 18th Century Portuguese romantic poet Bocage.

The Museu de Arqueologia e Etnografia has a varied and fascinating compilation of items discovered in the immediate region, from Bronze Age pots to the processing of cork.

 

In the 16th Century, Castelo de São Filipe was constructed to protect the port from passing marauders and it has now been turned into an attractive luxury Pousada for the benefit of the many temporary tourists.

 

The Museu Nacional Militar is one of the best military museums of the World. The majority of the artifacts in Museu Militar are really unique. The museum armory is small but posses the completely unique and very rare examples of medieval arms and armor starting from XV century. You can get extra knowledge about Portugal and its glorious history.

Museu do Trabalho  de Michel Giacometti :  This wonderful and exclusive museum in Portugal is set in a previous Sardine Factory. Setubal once had many of these but they have all closed . This museum also has various temporary exhibitions representing cottage or household industries.

 

Blue Coast Bikes Day Tours offers a variety of bike tours, ranging from single day to multi-day tours across different regions of Portugal. You’ll  see parts of the area rarely visited by tourists and to learn about the history and traditions of Portugal.

Parque Natural da Arrabida, one of the premium places in  Portugal. Take your time to climb to the top and see Lisbon and Setubal and enjoy the splendid sights that a clear day can offer. Come down and rest on several small white sandy beaches and blue water . The Park Natural da Arrábida is the jewel of Setúbal.

On the South is the Peninsula de Troia  accessible in 12 mins by ferry. Troia  Is a holiday village having high rise buildings which are observable from distant places. Miles of Atlantic beaches, golf courses, hotels great for families with kids, and the ruins of the Roman period .

(This article was read at tourswithasory.blogspot.com)

Faithfully,

Specialimo Travel Group

An Architecture City Guide: 12 modern/contemporary buildings in Lisbon!

Architecture City Guide: Lisbon

28

Sep 2011

By Christopher Henry — Filed under: Architecture City Guide , Lisbon

 

This week, with the help of our readers, our Architecture City Guide is headed to Lisbon. We put together a list of 12 modern/contemporary buildings that we feel provides a good starting point. It is far from complete. There are dozens of other great buildings that are not our list, and we are looking to add to the list in the near future. Please add your favorites in the comment section below so we can add them on the second go around. Again thank you to all our readers who sent in their suggestions and photographs. The city guides would not be possible without your help.

To check out other cities visit our world map or our Architecture City Guide page.
The Architecture City Guide: Lisbon  list and corresponding map after the break.

• Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation / Ruy Jervis d’Athouguia, Pedro Cid and Alberto Pessoa
• Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown / Charles Correa Associates
• Gare do Oriente Station / Santiago Calatrava
• Pavilion of Portugal / Alvaro Siza Vieira
• Rectory of Universidade Nova de Lisboa / Aires Mateus Architects
• Pavilhão do Conhecimento / João Luís Carrilho Da Graça
• Pavilhão Atlântico / Regino Cruz, Skidmore Owings & Merrill
• Baixa-Chiado Metro Station / Alvaro Siza Vieira
• Centro Cultural De Belém / Vittorio Gregotti, Manuel Salgado
• Bar À Margem / João Pedro Falcão De Campos, José Ricardo Vaz
• Mar do Oriente / Aires Mateus
• Terraços de Bragança / Alvaro Siza Vieira

Faithfully

Specialimo Travel Group

A description of “Lisboa”

Lisbon is probably the first place you will visit when you travel in Portugal, and maybe the last. Lisbon is not only the beginning of your adventure in Portugal, but was also the birthplace of the country we now know as Portugal.

The region surrounding Lisbon has been continuously inhabited since the Neolithic period, so it’s difficult to say when modern Lisbon was first established. Some date it all the way back to the Roman period when the city was known as Ulyssippo, while others consider the year 1147, when Portugal was re-conquered (from the Muslims) by Alfonso I of Portugal, as the beginning of the city as we know it.

Whether you consider it a must-visit tourist destination or one of the most significant societies in Western history, Lisbon is the origin of whatever Portugal means to you.

Pedestrians crossing Rua Augusta after the morning rain

Rua Augusta (that’s Portuguese for “Augusta Street”) is one of Lisbon’s busiest tourist arteries and runs south from Rossia Square to the Tagus River. A pedestrian street, Augusta Street is lined with shops, eateries and accommodation, such as the Traveller’s House hostel, which I listed among my favorite hostels in the world.

A streetcar in front of the Lisbon Cathedral

Lisbon is famous for its bright yellow streetcars or “americanos” (they were first imported from America), such as this one seen in front of the Lisbon Cathedral. While Lisbon’s trams only date back to the 19th century, the Lisbon Cathedral can trace its origin to the year 1147, when the city was liberated from its former Muslim rulers.

Ponte 25 de Abril

The Ponte 25 de Abril (25th of April Bridge) is Lisbon’s answer to San Francisco’s Golden Gate, spanning the Tagus River just before it meets the Atlantic Ocean. Opened in 1966, the bridge (whose name commemorates the onset of the Portuguese revolution of 1974) was actually built by the American Bridge Company, the same one that designed the Golden Gate. Ponte 25 de Abril is just over two kilometers in length.

Praça do Comércio

Lisbon is filled with majestic plazas. The Praça do Comércio, pictured above, commemorates the site of the Royal Riberia Palace prior to the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which destroyed it. Praça do Comércio is located at the southern terminus of Rua Augusta.

Lisbon from Nossa Senhora do Monte

One of Lisbon’s features that most delighted me the first time I flew over the city was its uniformly terracotta-colored roofs. No matter why you want to get a bird’s eye view of the Portuguese capital, dozens of Lisbon viewpoints exist. Shown above is the view from my personal favorite, Nossa Senhora do Monte, which is just a 10-minute walk from Praça do Comércio and the surrounding Baixa-Chiado district.

Elevador de Santa Justa in Baixa-Chiado

If you automatically think “France” when you think of the Eiffel Tower, a trip to Lisbon might change your thinking. The Elevador de Santa Justa was designed by Raul Mesnier de Ponsard, one of Gustave Eiffel’s apprentices, whose plans for a tower to connect the Baixa district to neighboring Chiado began to take shape in 1900.

Bélem Tower in Belem

Have a free day in Lisbon? Take the #15 tram from Praça do Comercio to Bélem, a historic Lisbon parish located about 4 km west of the city center and just 1 km from the Ponte 25 de Abril. Historically-speaking, Belem is significant because it’s where many Portuguese explorers set off on their seafaring voyages. The ones who set sail after the year 1519 departed from the Bélem Tower, pictured above.

Jerónimos Monastery

Another must-visit site in Bélem (besides any restaurant that sells pasteís de Bélem, delicious mini custard pies) is the Jerónimos Monastery, which opened in 1601 after more than 100 years of planning, construction and paper permission. After Vasco da Gama returned to the monastery with gold from the New World, the monastery became synonymous with Portuguese expansionism abroad. Even if you aren’t religious, the vast scale of the monastery is sure to invoke God like architectural mastery.

(article read at leaveyourdailyhell.com)

Faithfully,

Specialimo Travel Group

A Valentine Story…Pedro and Ines

Long before Shakespeare created Romeo and Juliet, Portugal had its own real life romantic tragedy within the royal family in the shape of Pedro and Inês. Their love story has become legend and inspiration for poets and artists throughout the ages. With each telling of the tale, it becomes harder to differentiate between fact and fiction but the elements of forbidden but everlasting love remain at its core. And what better place to learn about their romance than the place where they met and played out their romance? That’s why I went on a guided walk through the woods and botanical gardens of ‘Quinta das Lágrimas‘ or ‘Estate of Tears’ in Coimbra. Nowadays, the ‘Quinta das Lágrimas‘ is a luxury hotel but it was once the site of the royal palace and the backdrop to Pedro and Inês’ affair.

And I do mean affair. At nineteen, Pedro, son of King Afonso IV and heir to the Portuguese throne, was married off to Constança of Castille in order to seal an alliance between Portugal and Spain. The problems started when Pedro fell madly in love with Constança’s lady-in-waiting, Inês de Castro. His feelings were reciprocated and their relationship became an ill-disguised secret.

A folly in the old palace grounds, built during the Romance period to mark a place where Pedro and Inês’ probably met in secret, using a secret tunnel nearby Constança tried to discourage them by making Inês godmother to one of her children, thereby making her involvement with the child’s father, Pedro, incestuous but even this wasn’t enough to keep Pedro and Inês apart. They had four children of their own, and by then their relationship had soured King Afonso’s alliance with Castile. Constança died in 1349 but despite his father’s urgings to remarry, Pedro was only prepared to marry Inês. She wasn’t considered worthy of the throne and his father forbade the marriage. Pedro still refused to marry anyone else and King Afonso, at his wits end, took advantage of Pedro’s absence one day in 1355 and sent three assassins after Inês. The place where she is said to have been killed was later dubbed the ‘Fonte das Lágrimas‘ or ‘Fountain of Tears’.

There is a small natural spring here which feeds the estate’s farmland through irrigation channels. At its mouth, thin grasses sway in the flow of the water, representing Inês’ hair and the stones under the water have a reddish tinge as a result of her blood being shed.

(Fonte das Lágrimas / Fountain of Tears, Quinta das Lágrimas)

 A poem is carved into a stone plinth next to it, informing visitors that the fountain and stream symbolise the river of tears cried by Pedro at the death of Inês. And that with the eternal quality of true love, these tears continue to give sustenance to the flowers and trees in the very gardens that bore witness to their passion.

 (Poem at Fonte das Lagrimas)

 It was Pedro’s grandmother, Saint Queen Isabel, who had ordered the irrigation channels to be built to supply the vegetable gardens of the palace and neighbouring convent. If you eat at the Quinta das Lágrimas hotel, you could well be feasting on the food of love because its kitchen garden is still fed by these channels. There is a point along these watercourses, near one of the secret passageways that Pedro and Inês supposedly crept through to meet up in the woods, which is known as the ‘Pipe of Love’. Our guide, Branca, invites any loving couples to step forward. According to the legend, if two people in love simultaneously drink the water as it pours from one channel to a lower one, their love will be everlasting. No one takes her up on the offer and I’m not surprised. It would take some very complicated and undignified positioning to accomplish the task.

(Pipe of Love, Quinta das Lágrimas, Coimbra)

 Pedro’s love for Inês lived on after her death and he waged war against his father for having killed her. He never forgave his father and when he became king in 1357 he had Inês’ body dug up and crowned as queen, claiming that they had married in secret before she died.

(The posthumous coronation of Inês)

 The legend says that after forcing the members of his court to kiss her decomposing hand and swear allegiance to their new queen, Pedro tracked down her assassins and killed them, ripping out their hearts with his bare hands. To ensure they would be together in the afterlife, Pedro installed Inês’ body in the monastery of Alcobaça and had his own sarcophagus placed at the foot of hers. I haven’t been there yet but it looks well worth a visit. The attention to detail on the matching tombs is further evidence of Pedro’s devotion, with exquisite carvings of scenes from their lives together.

(Pedro’s sarcophagus at Alcobaça Monastery by syvwlch on Flickr.com )

If you want to take a guided tour of the grounds at Quinta das Lágrimas, you need to book ahead on +351 918108232. The gardens are open Tues-Sun from 10am to 5pm in winter or 7pm in summer.

 

(This artcile was read at the juliedawnfox.com)

Faithfully,

Specialimo Travel Group

What you need to know…about Lisbon

Lisboa is one of the treasures of Portugal and is considered one of the best european cities to live. There are many quarters decorated by the arabic style since Muslim Arabs lived there for 500 years… The City of Lisboa is divided by lil communities called “bairros“. There are several bairros in Lisboa, we highlight the following:  

 

 

       
        

 

 

Alfama is one of the oldest bairro of Lisboa. Remains as an Arabic structure characterized by alleys ,courtyards, narrow streets decorated with small stones. A peculiarity is the existence of a market where you can find everything very cheap, called “feira da ladra”. This community uses a common slang to distinguish it from other people, which is called “Calão”. Off the record, they use it with the aim to outwit the police officers.

 

        

         Castelo e Mouraria are near of alfama. During the month of June, the Popular Saints celebrations, these bairros are filled with music, dancing and aperitifs (grilled sardines are the snack of choice). Fado (traditional portuguese music) was born in Mouraria, a place that keeps alive their ancient traditions, confirmed by the existence of several fado houses, bars, taverns and cultural communities.

      
         Originated in the 16th century, Bairro Alto is today one of the liveliest places in town, with bars, restaurants and trendy shops. It’s a place of reference for nightlife, relaxation and socializing.  

 

 

        

 

Chiado is one of the most popular place as well with all sorts of shops, facilities and street entertainment. Where you will find hotels, theatres, bookshops, coffee shops, restaurants museums (it must be noted the museum of chiado which holds the best collection of Portuguese painting, sculpture from the romanticism, naturalism and modern periods) . We can’t forget to talk about the famous portuguese drink: ginjinha. On the 25th of august 1988, Chiado was devastated by a huge fire and even though there are still some scars of that fire, a renovation programme has brought Chiado back to life.

 

 

 

 

 

In Bica, another historical bairro of Lisboa, “elevador da bica” (Bica’s lift -1892) , passes between the houses on a street where the sidewalks are narrow staircase. The iconic lift  creaks up and down the hill while tourists take pictures framed with colorful houses and the river on the horizon.

             Baixa, or downtown of Lisboa, is the heart of the city. It’s the main shopping and banking district that stretches from the riverfront to the main avenue (Avenida da Liberdade). Avenida da liberdade is an important tourist attraction of the city. Famous nationally for hosting numerous luxury brands like ,Chanel, Versace,  Gucci, Christian Louboutin, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, etc. Baixa, it was completely rebuilt after the Great Earthquake of 1755 with streets flanked by uniform buildings, elegant squares, pedestrianized streets. This was Europe’s first great example of urban planning and one of the best European architectural achievements of the age . You can not miss the opportunity to travel in Santa justa’s lift and enjoy the most beautiful views of the city.

 

Article originally writen by www.tourwithastory.blogspot.com

Faithfully,

Specialimo travel Group

Essential of eating in Portugal…

Eating in Portugal

 

 -> Bacalhau com Broa

Most Portuguese food is based on olive oil and the generous use of garlic.

 

It is customary in most establishments to order soup, followed by a fish and a meat course. Potatoes and rice are likely to accompany both the meat and fish platters.

 

In many restaurants, the chef features at least one prato do dia (plate of the day). These dishes are prepared fresh that day and often are cheaper than the regular offerings.

 

Couverts are little appetizers, often brought to your table the moments you sit down or already on your table. These can include bread, cheese, and olives. In some restaurants they are free, in others you are charged extra. In many places, the charge for theses extras is per person.

 

Although bacalhau (salted codfish) is a mainstay in Portuguese cuisine and is served in many imaginative ways, most foreigners do not like it.

 

The Portuguese sardine is usually more to everyone’s liking because it is cooked so simply; grilled with lemon and a bit of olive oil.

 

The sardines are found off of the Atlantic coast of Iberia as well as France and Setubal. They are usually 6 to 8 inches long – so if you are thinking of sardines as the ones you buy in the cans, you’re in for a surprise!

 

Shellfish is another of the many delicacies of the Portuguese table. Its scarcity and the demand of foreign markets can make for high price tags that change daily. If you see Preco V. (variable price) ask your waiter for that day’s price if you plan on order lobster or crab.

From: LisbonSun blog

Specialimo

Portugal and Guimaraes Culture Capital of Europe referred on the “Wall Street Journal”

The opening ceremony in Toural Square, launching Guimarães as one of Europe’s 2012 Capitals of Culture. .The low winter sunshine creeps across Largo do Toural, transforming the 18th-century glass facades that line the western edge of the plaza in Guimarães, Portugal, into a wall of golden light. Old men in flat caps and fox-fur collars gather to discuss the latest grim economic news, while waiting for a €1 shoe shine from the bootblacks working beneath a fragment of the city’s medieval ramparts. From the Pastelaria Clarinha, an enticing aroma of freshly baked almond pastries wafts across the square, as it has for the past 60 years. There’s a timeless quality about Guimarães. The heart of this ancient city, a warren of cobbled lanes, granite mansions and baroque churches, is enshrined by Unesco among the treasures of world heritage. This year, however, the city, set among the green hills of Portugal’s northwestern Minho region, is getting a cultural adrenaline rush. As one of Europe’s 2012 Capitals of Culture, Guimarães is playing host to an invasion of contemporary art, modern dance and cutting-edge theater (www.guimaraes2012.pt). Related Article Marseille’s Cultural Renaissance .Sharing the title with the Slovenian city of Maribor, Guimarães has prepared a vast arts program that includes the latest ballet from Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, concerts by New York’s multi-Grammy-winning Emerson String Quartet and a world-class jazz festival. German chanteuse Ute Lemper will perform cabaret classics and Portugal’s haunting fado music will go head-to-head with edgy Angolan-immigrant rap. There’ll be poetry broadcast into the cable cars that run up to Penha mountain above the city and exhibitions of radical artists like Michelangelo Pistoletto and Christian Boltanski. Octogenarian cinema legend Jean-Luc Godard will premiere his new movie in October. A former vegetable market, the 18th-century Vila Flor Palace and derelict factories have been transformed into theaters and exhibition spaces. Beyond all the cultural buzz, Guimarães holds a special place in Portuguese hearts as the cradle of the nation. One of Europe’s oldest states was born here in 1139 when local count Afonso Henriques rebelled against his Spanish mother, declared an independent kingdom, then rode south to recapture the rest of the country from the Arab rulers who had held sway for four centuries. “Guimarães is Portugal, the rest is just what we conquered,” is a proud saying in the city. The muscular bronze statue of King Afonso brandishing a broadsword outside his 10th-century fortress is a fitting place to start a stroll through the city. Sharing a hilltop with the fortress is the restored Palace of the Dukes of Braganza, a Renaissance castle that will host exhibitions and concerts during 2012. From there, the narrow Rua de Santa Maria curls down into the old town. The city’s most picturesque street, it’s enclosed by centuries-old houses made from great, gray blocks of local stone. Inside the old town, there are cozy cafés such as the Casa Costinhas, which was founded by nuns and still serves almond and squash pasties originating in the neighboring Santa Clara convent. Among the little stores, Meia Tigela and Verde Inveja showcase Portuguese products, from lavender or cherry-scented Confiança soaps, to strong red wines from the banks of the Douro river and colorful clay figures of saints, soldiers and roosters made in the nearby town of Barcelos. Although it’s packed with historical gems, the city is no lifeless museum piece. Half the population is under 30 and old town bars and restaurants, overflow with a youthful crowd in evenings, when the streets look their romantic best under the yellow lamplight. The Minho is justly proud of its cuisine, although its hearty traditions may not appeal to the fainthearted. Local favorites include salt cod with crumbled corn-bread, lamprey in red wine, or papas de sarrabulho—a steaming black mash that involves the heart, lungs, liver and throat lining of a pig stewed in the animal’s blood. If that’s not quite your cup of tea, the region is also renowned for the quality of its veal, beef and kid, and there is always fresh fish from the coast to be washed down with the crisp, young Vinho Verde wines produced in the surrounding countryside. Guimarães also has one of the highest-concentrations of historic small hotels and guest houses, which are another Portuguese specialty. On a hillside overlooking the city, the luxurious Pousada de Santa Marinha is located in monastery dating back to the 12th-century; just outside the city, the Casa de Sezim is an medieval manor renowned for its antique wall decorations depicting 19th-century life; and the lordly Quinta de Corujeiras produces its own Vinho Verde and traces its origins back to the time of Henriques. Corrections & Amplifications: The opening ceremony launching Guimaraes as one of Europe’s 2012 Capitals of Culture took place in Toural Square. A caption in an earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the square as the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza.

By PAUL AMES  - Wall Street Journal

Regions of Lisboa and Tejo are offering affordable, world-class wines.

Portugal’s Next Frontier

Referred to by some as the “New Portugal,” the regions of Lisboa and Tejo are offering affordable, world-class wines.

Published on Dec 14, 2011

By Roger Voss

At dawn on the coast of Portugal, just north of Lisbon, the fog rolls in from the Atlantic Ocean. It works its way through the mountain range to the protected vineyards of the Lisboa region, keeping grapes cool in the late-summer heat.

After the fog lifts, surfers come out to catch the legendary waves at the most westerly shore in mainland Europe. Lisboa, less than an hour from Lisbon, is not just one of Portugal’s most productive vineyard areas, it’s Europe’s surf capital (see “Tasty Waves” below) and the connection between sea and vines is palpable here. Adjacent, but farther inland, across the Lisboa peninsula, are the vineyards of the Tejo region, wrapped around the Tagus River delta as it makes its way to the Atlantic. Here, the climate is warmer, and the wines become more powerful.

These two Portuguese regions are not dissimilar to Sonoma in California—the cooler Sonoma Coast is influenced by the ocean, while the warmer Sonoma Valley is influenced by the waters of San Pablo Bay.

Lisboa and Tejo are the pulse of what José Neiva Correia, owner and winemaker at DFJ Vinhos in Tejo, calls “the new Portugal.” Producers in the region formerly known as Estremadura began to use its new regional name, Lisboa, on labels beginning with the 2008 vintage. The switch was made to avoid confusion with Spain’s Extremadura. Tejo (formerly Ribatejo) transitioned to its new name at the same time.

For both, the name changes reflect the dramatic shift from a bulk wine region to one that produces quality wines at surprising prices (many retailing for $12 or less), and for an increasing number of top estate wines.

Viticultural Time Warp

The so-called Carnation Revolution of 1974 dramatically changed both regions. As Portugal underwent its gradual move to democracy, big estates were seized and broken up by temporary Marxist governments, while other properties were abandoned or saw production decline.

There was also an exodus of experts to Brazil and elsewhere that essentially sent Portugal into a viticultural time warp. Not until the 1990s did equilibrium return to the region, as estate owners, some of them new, assessed damaged crops, neglected vineyards and traditional wineries that primarily produced bulk wines. New vineyards began to take root, as did improved winemaking techniques and the Portuguese trait of looking across the ocean for the future. Lisboa and Tejo wines are the result of this new, quality-oriented direction.

The local grapes Arinto and Fernão Pires produce crisp, refreshing whites, while Castelão and Alicante Bouschet make fruity and juicy reds. But those few grape varieties are just the start. The regions’ modern “anything goes” approach includes planting vineyards with vines from all over Portugal and the world. Alvarinho, Sercial, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc give richness and complexity to the whites; Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Syrah give finesse, structure and power to the reds.

There is flexibility in the structure of the winemaking companies. Quintas (or estates) are owned by merchant houses and families. Some quintas use estate-grown fruit, while others source grapes from growers—Quinta da Boavista, with its Casa Santos Lima wines, is a case in point.

Individual quintas can be vast—Quinta da Alorna in Tejo controls 540 acres of grapes—while others are boutique, like Quinta de Sant’Ana in Lisboa, with about 24 acres.

Producers of Lisboa and Tejo

Halfway up a steep slope outside the Lisboa village of Aldeia Galega, a modern winery is under construction. It should have been finished for the 2011 harvest, but work is behind schedule. The frustration on the part of Alice and Paulo Tavares da Silva is palpable. They bought the beautiful Quinta de Chocapalha in 1987 and replanted the vineyard. Now, with daughter Sandra Tavares da Silva as chief winemaker (who lives in the Douro and produces Wine & Soul with her winemaker husband, Jorge Serôdio Borges), Chocapalha wines are in top form.

It’s a calm place where great wine can be made. “We get the morning ocean fog, the hot sun in the afternoon, the evening cooling winds…and silence,” says Alice, admiring the view and dreaming of the future.

Another Lisboa producer preparing for a bright future is Luis Vieira of Quinta do Gradil. Vieira epitomizes the transition in Lisboa between bulk wine and quality estate wines. At one end of the winery stand huge tanks that store bulk wine for sale in Lisbon. In the winery itself are smaller tanks and barrels, which house the wines he makes from the 495 acres of his three Lisboa estates, Castello do Sulco, Casa das Gaeiras and Quinta do Gradil. These wines are primarily for export—Vieira has plans to increase exportation from 47% to 70%.

“We are trying to show Lisboa as a blend of Portugal and international,” explains Vieira, who has owned Gradil since 1999. “Put the two together and the region can make top quality wines that are still value for money.”

As with other wineries in this region, the public tasting room is new and modern. Winemaker Antonio Ventura presents his full range of blends, from the crisp, Arinto-based whites to the reds—ripe blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and even Tannat to go with the juicy Alicante Bouschet.
“We are developing fast,” says Ventura. “Now the push is on to add the top quality to the ranges.”

That same push is occuring in Tejo. Like so many of her colleagues there, Alorna winemaker Martta Reis Simões likes to try new things. Unfortunately, “we only have two months every year to experiment,” she says. She’s in sync with the philosophy of the region—she does not believe in rigid blends, and she will combine Portuguese and French varieties, seamlessly putting them together in the spring following harvest. Quinta da Alorna, owned by the Lopo de Carvalho family since 1918, boasts 540 acres of vines in a 7,000-acre estate that includes a Lusitano dressage training center, “grape garden” of experimental clones and wine-tasting center.

Simões has recently created a line of white and red wines (called “What’s for Dinner?”), specifically for the American market. Alorna also plans to introduce a mid- to high-end brand called Eagle’s Gate, a reference to the gate of the Alorna palace courtyard. At the premium end of the scale is the Marquesa de Alorna range.

Ranging Wide for Quality Fruit

A number of wineries, based in Tejo and Lisboa, source fruit from all over Portugal. One such is DFJ Vinhos, which currently exports between 30 and 40 wines to the United States from a list of “maybe a hundred wines, I’m not sure,” admits the winery’s owner, José Neiva Correia. This is a big operation, producing six million bottles a year.

“I often create new wines because I wake up in the morning and think, what would happen if I blended that grape with that other one?” says Correia, a winemaker, organic vineyard advocate and true pioneer in Lisboa and Tejo’s ascent from bulk to quality wine. DFJ is probably the only winery in the world to make a specialty of Caladoc (a close crossing of Grenache and Malbec), which Correia blends with Alicante Bouschet.

The firm sources grapes from three family estates and from other growers. The winery is housed in a former distillery, Quinta da Fonte Bela. It’s an extraordinary complex—one very recognizable building constructed in 1901 was designed by Gustave Eiffel, the architect of the Eiffel Tower.

DFJ wines regularly earn Wine Enthusiast Best Buy designations for quality-to-price favorability—16 in the most recent batch of reviews. They run from the simple, $6 Coreto to the ever-expanding top range called Grand’Arte. Best wines include the white Grand’Arte Alvarinho and the red Quinta do Rocio from Correia’s family estate.

Another producer that ranges far and wide for fruit is Companhia das Quintas. Nuno do Ó and João Corrêa are the winemakers of Quinta da Romeira in Lisboa’s Bucelas. The pair also handles the red wines of nearby Quinta da Pancas, Quinta da Fronteira in the Douro, Quinta do Cardo in the mountains of the Beiras and Herdade da Farizoa in Alentejo. This quintet of quintas, nearly 1,000 acres in total, are all part of Companhia das Quintas.

It’s a considerable range of highly rated wines, but do Ó seems to have a special love for the Arinto white wines of Bucelas. “It is a naturally [acidic] grape, so I look for a balance between the acidity and sugar,” he says. Standing on the granite veranda of Romeira and pointing to the steep slopes on either side of the 18th-century pink villa, he says, “These are poor soils, with clay and limestone, just right for a white grape like Arinto. And in this V-shaped valley, we get the breezes straight off the ocean to keep all the freshness in the fruit.”

Bucelas has made its name as the Arinto capital. Quinta da Romeira, with 172 acres planted entirely with Arinto, is a leading producer. The volume wine from the estate is Prova Régia, an aromatic and fresh citrus- and tropical fruit-flavored wine. The top wine is Morgado de Sta. Catherina, a wood-fermented Reserva that has a strong resemblance to a ripe Chardonnay.

At every level in Tejo and Lisboa, producers make an enor- mous variety of wines. What visitors discover is that tastings are not brief—an array of bottles will be lined up on the tasting bench—but the wines are always fascinating. Winemakers of Lis- boa and Tejo have perfected the art of blending, while also preserving the characteristics of single-variety wines.

“They are very approachable and can be somewhat exotic,” Joe Veselko says of the wines. Originally from California—and a surfer for 30 years—Veselko started in the wine business in California and moved to Portugal in 2003. He now exports a portfolio of estates through his company, Wine Project Portugal.

“The surf in the Lisboa region is some of the best in Europe,” adds Veselko, a man who knows his waves as well as his wines. Sea and vines, vines and winemakers: The connection is always there.

Tasty Waves

There are plenty of wine regions around the world where you can combine a wine and surf vacation. But how many are protected? World Surfing Reserves is an organization that identifies, designates and preserves outstanding surf zones and their surrounding environments around the world. The first such designation in Europe is the Lisboa wine region’s Ericeira coastline, half an hour from the nearest vineyards. (It was dedicated October 14, 2011; worldsurfingreserves.org.) Malibu was the first designated area, and scheduled to follow are Santa Cruz, California and Manly Beach in Australia. The object is to protect key global surfing areas from pollution and shore development that can ruin waves and the tourism that comes with surfing.

The world-class Ericeira surf zone is 2.5 miles of seven quality surf breaks. The cliff coastline is punctuated by small bays, black rock beaches and significant upswells that nurture the coastal waters. Added fishing benefit: Fresh fish restaurants and their wine lists are terrific. Start with Marisqueira de Ribamar (marisqueiraribamar.com) near the Ribeira d’Ilhas beach and Furnas on the beach at Ericeira (restfurnasericeira.com). Nick Uricchio, a California surfer and founder of the Semente global brand of surfboards (semente.pt), arrived in Portugal in 1978, got a taste of the waves and decided to stay. Uricchio, whose workshop is a block from the ocean, is now what he calls a “guardian” of the Ericeira protected surfing reserve.

While we give you the best advice about wine, we asked Uricchio, a surfing legend, for the surf report. “California has long flat spells. It is good here all the time,” he said.

A Mixed Case from Lisboa and Tejo

Red Wines

92 Caves Velhas 2007 Cabeça de Toiro Reserva (Ribatejo). Editors’ Choice. Admiral Imports. abv: 13.5% Price: $17
92 Quinta da Alorna 2008 Reserva Touriga Nacional-Cabernet Sauvignon (Tejo). Cellar Selection. Grape Moments. abv: 14% Price: $18
92 Quinta de Chocapalha 2008 Reserva (Lisboa). Cellar Selection. Solstars Inc. abv: 14% Price: $36
91 Companhia das Quintas 2008 Quinta da Pancas Reserva (Lisboa). Aidil Wines & Liquor. abv: 13.5% Price: $NA
91 Fiuza 2008 Premium Touriga Nacional-Cabernet Sauvignon (Tejo). Aidil Wines & Liquor Inc. abv: 14% Price: $25
91 Quinta de Sant’Anna 2007 Baron Gustav von Fürstenberg (Lisboa). Cellar Selection. Laurel Im- porters. abv: 14% Price: $47
90 Casa Cadaval 2008 Vinha Padre Pedro (Tejo). Best Buy. VOS Selections. abv: 13.5% Price: $12
88 Parras Vinhos 2008 Castelo do Sulco Reserva. Grape Moments. abv: 13.5% Price: $11

White Wines 

90 Quinta dos Loridos (Lisboa). Best Buy. Admiral Imports. abv: 12.5% Price: $15
89 Vale d’Algares 2009 Guarda Rios Branco (Tejo). Best Buy. Artisan Vines Distributing. abv: 13%  Price: $13
89 DFJ Vinhos 2009 Consensus (Lisboa). Best Buy. Dionysos Imports. abv: 12.5% Price: $13
87 Casca Wines 2009 Cape Roca Fisherman (Lisboa). Laurel Importers. abv: 12% Price: $13

A shopper´s guide to Lisbon, by “The Guardian”

When asked to think of the world’s great shopping cities, few people would automatically suggest Lisbon. London, New York, Paris, yes. Marrakech even. But Lisbon?

I was sceptical, too, but the Portuguese capital surprised me with its rococco shopfronts and wonderful timewarp interiors selling some of the most delightfully packaged goods. Add to that the city’s temperate climate and reasonable prices and it would be fair to say Lisbon is one of the best places I have come across – as a person a little overfond of returning with a suitcase stuffed with treasure.

If you covet anything “old fashioned”, you’ll find it in Lisbon: soaps by Claus Porto in art deco boxes (clausporto.com), twinkling sardine tins, retro 1930s packets of flour and ground rice, handmade leather gloves, copper pans, flea market finds and toys you may well have imagined went out with the ark. They’re all here.

What makes the city such a feast is that behind the many exquisite, sometimes belle époque facades lie antiquated interiors and myriad goods that have been produced in Portugal for generations.

I had already been told that I would love A Vida Portuguesa (Rua Anchieta 11, avidaportuguesa.com). Its walls are lined with soaps, oils, toothpastes, petroleum jelly in retro boxes and store cupboard staples such as Zelly’s flour. Run by Portuguese journalist Catarina Portas, this shop is lovely. I walked out with armfuls of Zelly products, as well as a sardine grill for the barbecue, a stunning, iridescent ceramic sardine, tins of sardines, a stove-top toast maker, bright orange and red melamine plates and piles of Couto toothpaste and petroleum jelly in bright orange and black boxes. My pal Andrea said I looked like a pig in the veritable. It was as well I couldn’t see in the mirror. I think she might have been right.

My Lisbon friend, journalist Célia Pedroso, told me that her city, like many, had once been segmented into artisan sections, where you would find clusters of shops and workshops all selling the same things: sapateiros (shoemakers), douradores (gilders), correeiros (saddlers). She pointed to the street signs that still bear these names: “For many of those trades, only those beautiful, evocative words remain as street names. The artisans have long since gone. Out-of-town shopping malls, and the city’s inability to see that it might be worth preserving some of these crumbling old buildings, mean that a lot of them are now lost.”

But there are some that still defy the changing times. One of my favourites is a little haberdashery called Retrosaria Bijou (Rua da Conceição 91). Inside this skinny shop are drawers and boxes filled with buttons, ribbon and trimmings and other nick-nacks. It is one of a number of button shops (retrosarias) on a two-block chunk in the Bairro Alto district. For days I racked my brains trying to remember which old coat or cardigan it was that I wanted to revamp with beautiful buttons, and vowed to return to Lisbon with a list. I shall hover around this treasure trove of fastenings and fixtures and when I have decided which of these jewels will be mine, I will watch in delight as the aged assistant presses the buttons on the antiquated silver till.

On this same street Andrea and I also found the time warp that is Perfumaria Alceste, (Rua da Conceição 85). It is filled with bottles of homemade cologne and fragrance closely guarded by two sparrow-like ladies who taciturnly forbid the taking of pictures.

The nearby Napoleão, (Rua dos Fanqueiros 70) is a veritable cornucopia of port, other wines, and gourmet foods. I bought a little box of five different ports by Ramos Pinto – so that’s dad’s present sorted.

Coffee is the focus of two old shops in the heart of town. At Casa Pereira (Rua Garrett 38), the smell of the freshly ground beans may leave you craving a caffeine fix but they don’t brew the stuff here. This is where they sell whole and ground beans, such as the exclusive São Tomé at €22 a kilo, from the tiny island of the same name. The shop, founded in 1930, is also crammed with teas and chocolates, sweets and biscuits, plus port, Madeira and other wines.

A Carioca (Rua da Misericórdia 9) also specialises in coffee. It’s an art deco palace with two coffee grinders dating from 1936. The shop’s iconic symbol is a carioca, a woman from Rio de Janeiro, holding a cup of coffee.

One of the best ways to see Lisbon is to hop on and off the no 28 tram. A €4.60 one-day travelcard let us use all the trams, buses and funiculars we wanted. It was on my first day of riding the 28 that I stumbled across Sementes para Hortas e Jardins, on Praça de Figueira, a quaint corner shop selling flower and vegetable seeds and bulbs. A few doors along is 150-year-old Antiga Casa do Bacalhau, which sells hunks of salt cod, dried beans, tinned goods, bottled water and little else.

The 28 tram passes right by the button shops as well as Viúva C. Ferreira Pires (Rua Santo António da Sé 2, viuva.com), a hardware store selling an amazing selection of copper pans and of course the traditional Portuguese cataplana, a lidded, copper dish used to make slow-cooked fish and seafood stew. And round the corner was Santos Ofícios (Rua da Madalena 87, santosoficios-artesanato.pt, a handicraft store where Andrea bought a 20-piece miniature nativity set, carved in wood and hand-painted, for her sister.

With all our booty, we were glad to head back to our beautiful, and central, apartment (micasaenlisboa.com/apt/sao-bento, from €100 a night), also, handily, on the 28 tram route. When hands ached from carrying too many shopping bags, we could pop home to a chilled bottle of dry white Planalto (around €4.68 from the mini-supermarket) and a seat on our tiny terrace with a view of the Tagus river.

That same 28 tram took us to one of Lisbon’s shopping highlights: the Feira da Ladra, or flea market, held on a Tuesdays and a Saturdays. On row of stalls, and on pavements, is laid out anything from old bottom-of-the-drawer tat to real treasures. Andrea bought a beautiful watercolour by the artist Laiert, a costume designer for the Lisbon theatre. I was thrilled with the packaging on an old Abbott and Costello 8mm film called Riot on Ice, with the two comedy stars flying through the air with hats, scarves, ice skates and looks of absolute terror. Both Andrea and I bought magnificent old tins for €5 euros each – mine had once been a home for orthopaedic bandages.

From here we moved to Baixa, where grand old Rua Augusta is lined with fine shoe shops and Rua do Carmo is home to perhaps the world’s finest purveyor of leather gloves, Luvaria Ulisses (Rua do Carmo 87, luvariaulisses.com). Since 1925, ladies have been coming to this tiny place behind its neoclassical facade here to have their hands covered in talc before being carefully fitted with custom-made gloves.

Back on Praça da Figueira, a few streets north is a wonderful patisserie, Confeitaria Nacional (confeitarianacional.com/english) dating from 1829 with a mirrored ceiling, wooden staircase and marble counter. It sells cakes, pastries (including the famous pasties de nata, custard tarts), and jams. Run by five generations of the Castanheiro family, its most famous delicacy is the special Christmas cake known as the Bolo-Rei, (the King’s cake) a brightly coloured candied and glazed sweet bread made to a secret recipe.

Conserveira de Lisboa (Rua dos Bacalhoeiros 34) is an 80-year-old store filled from floor to ceiling with bright, vintage-looking tins of sardines and other fish. Sardines are the most common fish caught off the Portuguese coast and the 19th-century canning industry began preserving the fish so that the country’s addiction could be satisfied all year round. Tinned sardines are exported but the exquisite labels such as Tricana (conserveiradelisboa.pt/en/tricana) are not often seen outside Portugal – though they do now grace my kitchen walls.

Convida (convida.pt/home) publishes a free shopping guide to the Baixa and Chiado area (find it in shops, bars, restaurants and hotels), and it led me to the nicest lunchbox-come-tiffin tin I have ever seen. It’s a red-lidded metal dish known as a marmita, traditionally used by thrifty workers years ago and brought back into vogue by the owner of Cais do Chiado, an organic grocery and cafe (Rua do Alecrim 26), who recommissioned it. Just before heading for the airport, I took my new marmita to Confeitaria Nacional, jammed it full of pastries and quietly ate a couple on the plane. The rest of those pastéis de nata and queijadas de Sintra (cheesecakes) were finished off at home in London later when Andrea and I opened a bottle of Planalto and toasted Lisbon, the great shopping city. We will be back, for the buttons.

• This article was amended on 30 November 2011 to correct the spelling of Catarina Portas, from Catarina Portes.

The Guardian

 

Specialimo Travel Group

Fado music – Member of the intangible heritage list of UNESCO!!

A symbol of identity, Fado music is widely sung in Lisbon and represents a distinctly Portuguese multicultural synthesis of Afro-Brazilian music, local genres of song and dance, rural music, and urban song patterns of the early nineteenth century. Fado is typically performed by a solo male or female singer, accompanied by an acoustic guitar and the Portuguese “guitarra”, a pear-shaped twelve-stringed lute. It is performed professionally and informally in grass-root associations and often transmitted over successive generations within the same families.

The Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO’s General Conference in 2003 and now includes 139 States Parties. Only those countries that have ratified the Convention are eligible to present items for inscription on the Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage comprises 24 UNESCO Member States, elected for a term of four years. Half the Committee is renewed every two years.