Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
gical excavations going back more than 2000 years. You have to squint hard to imagine it,
but you'll see remnants of a Roman street and shopfronts, an Islamic-era house and dump,
10am-5pm Mon-Sat)
showcases religious artwork.
Igreja de São Vicente de Fora
CHURCH
( 218 824 400; Largo de São Vicente; admission €5; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun)
Graça's serene, gorgeous
Igreja de São Vicente de Fora was founded as a monastery in 1147, revamped by the Itali-
an architect Felipe Terzi in the late 16th century, and devastated in the 1755 earthquake
when its dome collapsed on worshippers. Elaborate blue-and-white
azulejos
dance across
almost every wall, echoing the curves of the architecture, across the white cloisters and up
to the 1st floor. Here you'll find a one-off collection of panels depicting La Fontaine's
moral tales of sly foxes and greedy wolves. Under the marble sacristy lie the crusaders'
tombs. Seek out the weeping, cloaked woman holding stony vigil in the eerie mausoleum.
Have your camera handy to snap some of the superb views from the tower.
Panteão Nacional
MUSEUM
( 218 854 820; Campo de Santa Clara; adult/child €3/free, free 10am-2pm Sun; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun)
Perched high and mighty above Graça's Campo de Santa Clara, the porcelain-white
Panteão Nacional is a baroque beauty. Originally intended as a church, it now pays
homage to Portugal's heroes and heroines, including 15th-century explorer Vasco da
Gama and
fadista
Amália Rodrigues. Lavishly adorned with pink marble and gold swirls,
its echoing dome resembles an enormous Fabergé egg. Trudge up to the 4th-floor view-
point for a sunbake and vertigo- inducing views over Alfama and the river.
Museu do Fado
(
www.museudofado.pt
;
Largo do Chafariz de Dentro; admission €5; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun)
Fado was born in
the Alfama. Immerse yourself in its bittersweet symphonies at Museu do Fado, an enga-
ging museum tracing fado's history from its working-class roots to international stardom,
taking in discs, recordings, posters, a hall of fame and a re-created guitar workshop. After-
wards, pick up some fado of your own at the shop.
MUSEUM
