Tour Itinerary
We will visit Shaare Tiekwa, built by donations of the Lisbon Jewish colony in 1904, whose architect was Ventura Terra.
The facade shows a mixture of several motives from different styles, with ten high fists with stained glass windows. At the interior paintings from Veloso Salgado can be seen as well as a magnificent silver lamp by Cristofanetti.
Following to Rossio we will cross Marquês de Pombal Square. Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, the Marquis of Pombal as the name shows, himself from Jewish origin. It was under his government as Prime Minister of the King Joseph I, from 1750-1777, and by decree, that the distinction between New Christians and Old Christians finished.In Rossio, one of the main spots of the Holy Office headquarters in Lisbon, and the place where the condemned by the Inquisition were burned.We finish our tour in Alfama, crossing Praça de Comércio (short stop to admire the square, this was also a place used by the Inquisition for their public activities), one of Lisbon's oldest quarters into Rua da Judiaria in the Old Jewish Quarter, with its narrow cobbled streets.
After lunch, we will visit Sintra , who was classified by UNESCO as a "Cultural Landscape". Palacio da Vila, the former Royal Palace, where Dom Joao I (who reigned from 1385-1433) took the decision to send an expedition to Ceuta, thereby initiating the golden age of Portuguese Maritime Expansion. It was during this period that the Jewish quarter in this area grew around the Palace, greatly contributing to the flourishing of economic and literary activity.
In the reign of Dom Joao III (1521-1557), the Palace was frequently visited by men of letters and humanists who spoke Latin, Hebrew and Greek. High above Sintra, overlooking the surrounding hills and the ruins of the nearby 8th century Moorish Castle, stands the Palacio da Pena, a fine example of romantic taste in its eclectic blend of styles. By option, we can visit Cabo da Roca, a sheer headland which falls dramatically into the sea.
