Meeting Point

Decorative Arts Museum

Lisbon’s Tiled Facades

As we walk through the surrounding streets, we’ll look at Lisbon’s tradition of tiled façades and discover how and why azulejos became an integral part of Portuguese architecture.

Portuguese Calçada: Stone Pavements

We’ll look at Lisbon’s distinctive calçada portuguesa, from the famous pavement of Rossio to other examples along our route. We’ll explore how these small pieces of stone are arranged into patterns and how a practical paving technique became an important part of Portugal’s visual and urban identity.

São Roque Church

We’ll explore São Roque Church and its richly decorated interior, looking at the craftsmanship behind its carved wood, gilded decoration, paintings, tiles and other decorative elements. It is a particularly good place to see how different materials and artistic traditions came together in the decoration of Portuguese religious spaces.

Tram 18

We’ll take Tram 18, a traditional Lisbon tram, as we venture beyond the more touristy parts of the city. The ride takes us towards our next stop, while giving us a chance to experience one of Lisbon’s historic forms of public transport along the way.

Fábrica de Sant’Anna

We’ll visit Fábrica de Sant’Anna, where tiles have been made using traditional methods on the same site since the 18th century. A visit to the production area is subject to the factory’s availability and must be confirmed with them in advance; I will contact the factory to check whether a production visit can be arranged for your tour. If it is not available, we can still visit the historic factory building and shop, where you can browse the work and, if you wish, take a tile home.

Ending Point

Fábrica de Sant’Anna