A 16th century architectural curiosity
"This "House of Spikes" is an architectural curiosity, faced with diamond-shaped stones (a total of 1125).
It is a 16th century palace that belonged to Afonso de Albuquerque, the Portuguese viceroy of India, and is one of the very few buildings that survived the 1755 earthquake.
It is thought to have been modelled on the palaces of Venice, although the two upper floors have exuberant arched windows characteristic of the Portuguese Manueline style.
Its interior is not usually open to the public, except when it hosts occasional special exhibitions. It is currently in the process of turning into the home of the Saramago Foundation, a space dedicated to the Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese writer. It will host special literary events and contain the author's library.
There are tourist shops in the vicinity as well as cheap restaurants known for their traditional grilled fish dishes. " [*]
| Where: Rua dos Bacalhoeiros, Alfama How: Walk from Comercio Square. When: Only opens for temporary exhibitions. |
| Sights Nearby |
Municipal Square - Home of the City Hall palace.
Rua Augusta - The city's main shopping street.
Conceição Velha Church - Church that survived the Great Earthquake.
The National Pantheon - The domed church that took centuries to complete.
Santo Antonio Church - Saint Anthony's birthplace.
The Roman Theater - The archaological remains of a once large Roman theater.
Fado Museum - The story of the national music.
Military Museum - A testament to the country's battles.
Doca do Jardim do Tabaco - Sleek restaurants and club on the waterfront.
Tune tomorrow for more Casa dos Bicos photos
2 comments:
I'm tuning! Love this stuff, as you know. Great post, wonderful photos!
Neat pointy building. Very interesting.
Let's see some of the waterfront eating places.
Why dpo I have to have good hearing----which od course I do. MB
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