Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• Pass through the big arch and walk down Rua Augusta into the Baixa district. The next
three stops along this walk take you straight down Rua Augusta, stopping at three cross
streets.
Rua do Comércio:
Look right to see the old cathedral with its Romanesque
ings are austere, with no tiles—this was the architectural style adopted immediately after
the earthquake, when only the interiors of buildings were tiled. In the Portuguese colony
of Brazil, people found that tiles protected against humidity, and eventually (by the 19th
century), tilework was adopted as a form of exterior decoration here in Lisbon. The char-
acteristic black-and-white cobbled sidewalk
(calçada)
is uniquely Portuguese. These mo-
saic cobbles were first cut and laid by 19th-century prison laborers. Later on this walk,
you'll see a monument to the many generations of
calceteiros,
the men who made Lis-
bon's traditional sidewalks. On the right you'll pass the Museum la Mode, Lisbon's mu-
seum of design (a.k.a. MUDE; free to enter). Filling the Art Deco ground floor of a former
bank, it offers a quick, one-floor stroll through 20th-century fashion.
• At Rua São Julião, look left about 30 yards and try to find the church—it's hiding.
Rua São Julião:
Churches are scarce in the post-earthquake Baixa. Only a few
of the churches destroyed by the quake were permitted to be rebuilt. The replacement
churches were incorporated into the no-nonsense military style, with facades that match
the rest of the street. You'll notice that the Baixa district is struggling to stay vital, with
many buildings now mostly empty (especially the upper floors). Look up for evidence of
how downtown's Lisbon's population is shrinking, as more people move to the suburbs.
