On Portugal and its History so many pages have been written, all its magnificent monuments have been portrayed in so many different ways that you get the feeling that time has never gone by and not only for the reason that its architecture has been preserved intact even though terribly hit by an earthquake in 1755, but also because the people in charge for their maintenance are dedicated and professional.
When landing at the airport and after getting restfully settle in your hotel, grab your tourist map and begin your tour visit starting from “Plaza do Comercio”, on the River Tagus. From there, you can go on the way to the port or into the city to visit the austere church “Igreja de São Domingos” and the history opening up in front of your eyes.
And now it’s time to start our tour and take an interested view of Lisbon.
Doesn’t matter where you go, you are surrounded by wonderful sounds. In the streets you can have the sense of hearing music from the birds, when shopping the piped-in music go together with you, so why not dip into the music which is so representative of Portugal and particularly, Lisbon with the Fado?
When landing at the airport and after getting restfully settle in your hotel, grab your tourist map and begin your tour visit starting from “Plaza do Comercio”, on the River Tagus. From there, you can go on the way to the port or into the city to visit the austere church “Igreja de São Domingos” and the history opening up in front of your eyes.
And now it’s time to start our tour and take an interested view of Lisbon.
Doesn’t matter where you go, you are surrounded by wonderful sounds. In the streets you can have the sense of hearing music from the birds, when shopping the piped-in music go together with you, so why not dip into the music which is so representative of Portugal and particularly, Lisbon with the Fado?
Famous Fado Singer Poster
Exploring Lisbon's Heart – The Fado
Fado, which means “fate”, is thought to have come from the sentimental ballads sung on long voyages or from the songs of the slaves from Brazil. It was habitually sung in houses of ill repute or not respectable pubs because its lyrics expressed feelings about inner taboo passions.
But thanks to singers like Amalia Rodrigues, who has been equaled to other well known artists like Ella Fitzgerald or Edith Piaf, the Fado has become famous all over the world.
Amalia brought into play verses from the most celebrated Portuguese poets, starting from the omnibus of medieval music up till now, wearing a traditional dress and a black shawl to add the polishing touch.
The Fado, originally complemented by the guitar classic and by the twelve string lute and occasionally by a saxophone, is an passionate sound with intense inner emotion. Who would let pass the chance to spend a night with candlelight, immersing yourself in history through the music?
And now you may think where to go to listen to the best of Fado?
In Lisbon there is quite a great deal of places. If you don’t have a good street map of Lisbon you could go to the nearest tourist center to get one. Then you could begin your tour starting with “The House of Fado and Portuguese Guitar”, a museum with a center of documentation and an auditorium, where you can read the history of the Fado and its great interpreters. It is located in one of the most typical neighborhoods called Alfama. While there, if you just walk around the streets after dinner, the melody will reach your ears without even looking for.
Also you have the possibility to visit the house where Amalia Rodrigues lived and come across to her dresses and jewelry. Then you can head to the neighborhood Mouraria, an old Moorish area of Lisbon that was once considered a slum, but now it’s where those “in the know” go to see the sights and discover the heart and history of the city.
From June to end of September, every Friday and Saturday, live open-air Fado concerts subsidized by the municipality are played for the local residents. And before leaving this area and travel to sightseeing other parts of Portugal like Porto, Fatima, Faro or Albufeira, stop by a shop and look for the latest Fado CD.
But thanks to singers like Amalia Rodrigues, who has been equaled to other well known artists like Ella Fitzgerald or Edith Piaf, the Fado has become famous all over the world.
Amalia brought into play verses from the most celebrated Portuguese poets, starting from the omnibus of medieval music up till now, wearing a traditional dress and a black shawl to add the polishing touch.
The Fado, originally complemented by the guitar classic and by the twelve string lute and occasionally by a saxophone, is an passionate sound with intense inner emotion. Who would let pass the chance to spend a night with candlelight, immersing yourself in history through the music?
And now you may think where to go to listen to the best of Fado?
In Lisbon there is quite a great deal of places. If you don’t have a good street map of Lisbon you could go to the nearest tourist center to get one. Then you could begin your tour starting with “The House of Fado and Portuguese Guitar”, a museum with a center of documentation and an auditorium, where you can read the history of the Fado and its great interpreters. It is located in one of the most typical neighborhoods called Alfama. While there, if you just walk around the streets after dinner, the melody will reach your ears without even looking for.
Also you have the possibility to visit the house where Amalia Rodrigues lived and come across to her dresses and jewelry. Then you can head to the neighborhood Mouraria, an old Moorish area of Lisbon that was once considered a slum, but now it’s where those “in the know” go to see the sights and discover the heart and history of the city.
From June to end of September, every Friday and Saturday, live open-air Fado concerts subsidized by the municipality are played for the local residents. And before leaving this area and travel to sightseeing other parts of Portugal like Porto, Fatima, Faro or Albufeira, stop by a shop and look for the latest Fado CD.
After this enriching encounter, you are ready to leave Lisbon, and start your sightsee tour to its surrounding towns. You can reach the River Duero and the city of Porto also known as Oporto. This area and the Mino River Valley are the lushest vineyards where the renowned Port wine is produced.
From spring until fall season, when the grapes are harvested, the landscape is like a canvas painting done in all the shades of green that you can think of.
No matter what kind of the weather you’ll find at the time of your visit, you should consider at least one tour to the wine cellars where a sampling some of the most distinctive wines. And if you have a day or two extra try to make a visit to The Azores Islands and/or to Madeira, where the wine production is one of the best in the world and there you can sip the famous delicious wine. From the 16th century the “old salt” had used these islands as a place where taking a break in between their long journeys. During their stopover, they surely enjoyed the local wine. As a result when they were set to sail, they loaded up the ship with wine and realized that the wine had a better aroma after having been exposed to warmer weather. This kind of warm up process improved significantly the whole complex process of producing what is called “vintage wine”.
If you are considering taking a nice vacation in Lisbon, or Madeira or the Azores Islands you can click here to get the best promotions for your future trip.
Portugal is the place where you can enjoy touring, see monuments, learn about history; you can also drink and taste a glass of excellent wine, listen to sentimental Fado music and spend a day or two on the beach.
All this together can make your trip to Portugal a memorable one!
From spring until fall season, when the grapes are harvested, the landscape is like a canvas painting done in all the shades of green that you can think of.
No matter what kind of the weather you’ll find at the time of your visit, you should consider at least one tour to the wine cellars where a sampling some of the most distinctive wines. And if you have a day or two extra try to make a visit to The Azores Islands and/or to Madeira, where the wine production is one of the best in the world and there you can sip the famous delicious wine. From the 16th century the “old salt” had used these islands as a place where taking a break in between their long journeys. During their stopover, they surely enjoyed the local wine. As a result when they were set to sail, they loaded up the ship with wine and realized that the wine had a better aroma after having been exposed to warmer weather. This kind of warm up process improved significantly the whole complex process of producing what is called “vintage wine”.
If you are considering taking a nice vacation in Lisbon, or Madeira or the Azores Islands you can click here to get the best promotions for your future trip.
Portugal is the place where you can enjoy touring, see monuments, learn about history; you can also drink and taste a glass of excellent wine, listen to sentimental Fado music and spend a day or two on the beach.
All this together can make your trip to Portugal a memorable one!
