See Portugal

This week I am going to be featuring Lisbon neighborhoods. With a city as unique as Lisbon, it is important to get a feel for each section of the city. I will highlight the places that are a must see for anyone visiting the city, and I suggest that visitors stay in one of these neighborhoods, and spend time getting to know at least one intimately. I will start with the oldest, Alfama.

Alfama is the oldest district of Lisbon, spreading on the slope between the Castle and the Tejo river. Its name comes from the Arabic Al-hamma, meaning fountains or baths. It contains many important historical attractions, with many Fado bars and restaurants.During the times of Moorish domination, Alfama constituted the whole of the city, which later spread to the west.

Alfama became inhabited by the fishermen and the poor, and its condition as the neighborhood of the poor continues to this day. The great 1755 Lisbon Earthquake did not destroy Alfama, which has remained a picturesque labyrinth of narrow streets and small squares. The Alfama neighborhood has been invigorated with the renovation of the old houses and new restaurants where Fado - Traditional Portuguese music - can be enjoyed.

Overlooking Alfama is the medieval Castle of São Jorge, royal residence until the early 16th century and now offering the best views of the city. In the slopes of Alfama there are other terraces or miradouros from which to see the city, like the Miradouro de Santa Luzia, near the church of the same name and over remnants of the Moorish city walls, and the Miradouro das Portas do Sol (Gates of the Sun). Near Miradouro Santa Luzia is located the Museum of Decorative Arts, Museu de Artes Decorativas, a 17th century mansion with magnificent interiors.

Among the churches of the Alfama are Lisbon Cathedral (12th-14th centuries), the oldest of the city and located to the west of the neighborhood, Convento da Graça, 18th century, near the Castle, the mannerist Monastery of São Vicente de Fora (late 16th-18th century), where the Kings of the House of Braganza are buried, and the baroque Church of Santa Engrácia (17th century), now converted into a National Pantheon for important Portuguese personalities.