Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
baster, lapis lazuli and Carrara marble. The museum adjoining the church is packed with
elaborate sacred art and holy relics; the bamboo-lined courtyard restaurant is a treat.
Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara
(Rua São Pedro de Alcântara; viewpoint 24hr, cafe 10am-midnight Mon-Wed, to 2am Thu-Sun; Restauradores)
Hitch a ride on vintage
Elevador da Glória
from Praça dos Restauradores, or huff your way up
steep Calçada da Glória to this terrific hilltop viewpoint. Fountains and Greek busts add a
regal air to the surroundings, and the open-air cafe doles out wine, beer and snacks, which
you can enjoy while taking in the castle views.
VIEWPOINT
TOP OF CHAPTER
Alfama, Castelo
& Graça
Unfurling like a magic carpet at the foot of Castelo de São Jorge, Alfama is Lisbon's
Moorish time capsule: a medina-like district of tangled alleys, palm-shaded squares and
skinny, terracotta-roofed houses that tumble down to the glittering Tejo. These cobbles
have been worn smooth by theatre-going Romans, bath-loving Moors who called it
al-
hamma
(Arabic for 'springs'), and stampeding Crusaders.
Here life is literally inside out: women dish the latest
mexericos
(gossip) over strings of
freshly washed laundry, men gut sardines on the street then fry them on open grills, plump
matrons spontaneously erupt into wailful fado, kids use chapel entrances as football goals,
babies cry, budgies twitter, trams rattle and in the midday heat the web of steep lanes falls
into its siesta slumber.
Add some altitude to your sightseeing by edging north to Graça, where giddy
miradouros
afford sweeping vistas and the pearly-white Panteão Nacional and Igreja de
São Vicente de Fora punctuate the skyline.
