16th century, Portuguese poet Luis de Camoes created the epic 'The Lusiads' during the Age of Discovery, and the glory of the golden age of Lisbon and Portugal was built upon this era. From prosperity to disillusionment, and rebirth from disaster, all the vicissitudes of life have taken place in this country at the westernmost tip of the European continent. By choosing Portugal investment immigration, you can slowly savor its unique charm.
Lisbon LISBON
Perhaps you have visited almost every major city in Europe, but the colorful houses of Lisbon still feel as psychedelic as bubbles. Similar to Rome, Istanbul, and San Francisco, Lisbon is also a city of seven hills. Some attribute its mysterious development history to a story in Roman mythology. Legend has it that after Ulysses abandoned Calypso, the heartbroken nymph transformed herself into a snake, and her coiled body became the seven hills.
The city of seven hills rises and falls, bordered by the Albarracín mountains to the west, with small hills winding and intertwining from the east, south, and north, finally converging at the mouth of the Tagus River. It is here that the urban fabric and secular life of Lisbon grow.
The Bairro Alto district in the west of the city is located on a higher hillside. The houses here are built along the mountain, and the streets are staggered. The ancient buildings hide many fashionable bars and restaurants. After sunset, the old streets seem to be reborn and full of vitality, gathering the most fashionable young people in the city. Red, yellow, blue, and green cushions are scattered on the gray cobblestone steps, with small square tables placed in front, where people sit on the ground, casually eating snacks and drinking beer in the open-air alleys.
In the Mouraria district, there are lively vendors, colorful stalls, and mysterious alleys. This was once the Moorish quarter, and it has long had a poor reputation, once famous for its red-light district business. However, the Portuguese national treasure, Fado music, also sprouted here around the same time.
Today, the soul of this city has gradually shifted to the Alfama district, which is full of deep streets and winding alleys and was also an old area where the Moors lived. Dozens of small alleys converge on a tiny square, where silver-haired elderly people push carts selling fresh flowers. When the bouquets are unwrapped, love poems are hidden inside, with different flower colors and different verses, which is quite exquisite.
Only in the Alfama district can you personally feel the Lisbon of the past: buildings, streets, arches, stairs, wooden balconies, and the most authentic forms of people's lives: noise, chatter, singing, poverty, and trash.
If the Eiffel Tower is to Paris and the Colosseum is to Rome, then the landmark building of Lisbon is the Jerónimos Monastery, which was originally a small prayer chapel for sailors before they set sail in the 15th century. In 1501, to celebrate Vasco da Gama's successful maiden voyage to India, King Manuel I ordered it to be transformed into this magnificent monastery, which took a century to complete.
The monastery is built of golden-colored beige stone, a specialty of Portugal, with more than 300 meters of arcades and 30 pairs of spires piercing the sky, which is breathtaking. Stepping into the main church, eight columns—four thick and four thin—support a vaulted ceiling 40 to 50 meters high. The dome is dynamic, like a fantasy, giving people the feeling of the Holy Spirit descending.
And this is indeed the case. In 1755, Lisbon suffered a devastating magnitude 9 earthquake. The entire ancient city was destroyed, and 90,000 people lost their lives. Only this monastery stood firm, protecting all the royal family members who were praying there, and thus it was cloaked in an even more sacred light.