Ciao, people of HIVE!
I suddenly decided to leave Sardinia and take you on a journey to Portugal. In this article and in the upcoming ones, I will try to show you the photos I took in Lisbon and its surroundings.
The trip in question dates back to 2018, and once again, I set off with my adventure companion @nhov, lifelong friend of mine in real life.
To reconstruct this adventure, I dug up my old travel notes from a drawer. A little curiosity about me: I don’t buy many souvenirs in the places I visit, just postcards, old books in the local language and a journal where I always collect my impressions, information about the places I visit, the people I meet and the special moments I experience. Often, this is where I begin to gather words for the poems I will write. My collection of diaries grows year after year, and it’s incredibly exciting to watch it expand!
Disclaimer: forgive me if the places I’ll show you aren’t too original. It was my first time in Portugal and I was only there for a few days, so I focused on the more well-known and touristy areas. I hope, however, that these articles will be useful to those who have never been to Portugal and would like to get to know it better, especially my friends who live on the other side of the world.
Now, finally... let's go!
View from the Castelo de São Jorge.
Tram in Praça do Comércio.
Torre de São Vicente, more commonly known as the Belém Tower.
Convento do Carmo.
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
I have always been deeply moved by the idea of visiting Portugal, a truly fascinating country. I have always been a great fan of Fernando Pessoa, a man with elegant writing, enviable culture and an incredibly fascinating inner world. So, I had already been to Lisbon in my mind, through the pages he had written.
Our journey began at Bologna Airport, and we arrived in Lisbon just before sunset. It was wonderful to see it from the plane.
As I watch the waves crashing on the beach, I suddenly realize a detail: I’m seeing the ocean for the first time, even if from a distance...
As it was already late, we decided to take a walk and enjoy some leisure time in the area around our apartment. First, after a quick dinner, we went to admire the city from the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte.
The miradouros of Lisbon are truly fascinating places, from which you can admire the landscape, the city and the Tejo River, the very gateway to the Atlantic Ocean. One thing that particularly moves me is that this was the place from which many ships departed for America, Asia and Africa, so it was here that dreams of adventure, sorrow and nostalgia gathered. Children came here to watch the ships going away, nurturing great dreams of adventure; women, mothers, and wives, came to watch the horizon, hoping to see the ships coming back. Needless to say, those brave sailors often died during the journey and never returned.
Although several centuries have passed, Lisbon still retains part of that melancholic charm, and I loved it for that too.
Our evening continued in two local spots, Botequim and Damas, where we drank a liter of Sagres and various craft beers, just to kick off the adventure in the right way! Then, we went to bed.
Morning walk towards Alfama
View from a window of our apartment, directly overlooking the Castelo de São Jorge.
The famous azulejos, decorative ceramic tiles that you can see everywhere in Lisbon. They are like small mosaics that cover the facades of buildings, walls and even floors, and they are wonderful to look at. They often feature geometric patterns or floral designs, but I have also seen more elaborate ones, depicting scenes related to the history and culture of Lisbon.
The entrance to the Jardim da Cerca da Graça.
The 25 de Abril Bridge seen from the public garden. This bridge, inspired by the Golden Gate Bridge, was built in the 1960s by the same company that constructed his famous twin in San Francisco. In fact, at that time, it was called the Salazar Bridge, after the Portuguese leader, but since 1974 it has been named the "25 de Abril Bridge" to celebrate the Carnation Revolution and the restoration of democracy.
Our walk takes us to the Castelo de São Jorge, where we passed by also for the pleasure of looking at the city from above.
Castelo de São Jorge
Studying the history of the castle, three key periods must be highlighted. In the Middle Ages, this place was a symbol of the Reconquista due to the siege in which the Portuguese king Alfonso Henriques captured the city from the Moors in 1147. The castle is also linked to the myth of Martim Moniz, a brave soldier who, according to legend, sacrificed his life to prevent the Moors from closing the gate, giving the Portuguese army time to enter. The control of the fortress allowed the Portuguese to defend the city and the kingdom in the following decades.
However, by the mid-1500s, the castle began to lose its importance when the monarchy built a new royal palace in another part of the city. Soon after, a devastating earthquake (1531) and Spanish domination (1580-1640) led to the decline of the castle, which became a simple barracks with a prison and later the headquarters of a charity organization for poor or orphaned children.
Since the mid-1900s, its role as a tourist destination has instead become more established, making it one of the most famous attractions in Lisbon.
From the castle's ramparts, the view of the city is simply incredible. Some of Lisbon's wonders are also visible from here.
The statue of Christ the King, inspired by the one in Rio de Janeiro. The statue itself is 28 meters tall, but it stands on a base nearly 80 meters high, making it highly visible. The Portuguese leader Salazar had it erected as a thank you for sparing Portugal from the horrors of World War II.
Convento do Carmo.
The entrance of the castle.
The flag of Portugal and the flag of Lisbon.
It was very beautiful to start our journey like this, with a lovely view of the city from above and a close connection to its history, with the stones that defended it and the places where the most powerful and well-known men of the country walked. For example, among other things, this is the castle where Vasco da Gama came to speak with the king after his adventurous journey that took him to India in 1498.
Alfama, a district of music and colors
After our visit to the castle, we took a walk into Alfama, the most famous and oldest neighborhood in the city, characterized by narrow winding alleys, colorful houses, and an authentic, picturesque atmosphere. With its labyrinthine streets, the traditional fado music echoing from the taverns and the panoramic views of the city, Alfama preserves the historical charm and the popular soul of Lisbon.
Traditional Portuguese beer. Looking at this photo in 2025, I wonder how things went with inflation, if the prices are still as good as I remember...
Finally, we found a peaceful place to have lunch.
Sopa do dia, the soup of the day. In Portugal, it's typically served as a starter or first course during lunch. There's no fixed recipe, in fact, the ingredients change every day depending on the season and availability. The one I had contained chickpeas, onions, leeks and other vegetables. I really liked it, even though it's a light meal, and I needed something more substantial after all the energy spent during the morning.
Bacalhau à Brás, a traditional dish made with salted cod, julienned fried potatoes, onions, eggs and parsley. Bacalhau (salted cod) is a fundamental ingredient in Lisbon's cuisine and throughout Portugal, to the point that it is considered one of the country's iconic foods.
The tradition of bacalhau dates back centuries, when the fish was preserved with salt to withstand the long periods of navigation. It is said that in Portugal there are as many as 365 recipes featuring bacalhau, one recipe for each day of the year!
After lunch and a short rest, we were ready to continue our visit to Lisbon...
...but we’ll talk about it in the next article.
Thank you, as always, for your attention, your time, your support and your suggestions.
Feel free to share your experience, or any similar one, or an emotion that my article has stirred in your heart.
See you soon on the road,
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