From our guide to Portugal
You’ll feel at home the moment you arrive, thanks to hosts Giampiero and Paul. They designed the semi-circular house themselves to make the most of the stunning sea views...
Behind the elegant pale blue façade, this is a place of contrasts: light and dark, antique and boutique-chic. Built in 1779 on the site of a monastery destroyed in the earthquake...
For a country so long at the centre of world events, Portugal can seem strangely removed from them. She is, of course, on the physical edge of the continent, hemmed in by vast and re-energised Spain. But, she is beginning to find her new voice. Portugal is also a richly rewarding country for visitors, especially those with a little curiosity. It is barely possible to be in Lisbon without being aware of its glorious (and inglorious) past, its place once at the centre of a vast empire. It was, some thought, the loveliest of all Europe's capitals, before the disastrous fire that reduced so much of it to ruins; but the re-building has produced wonderful results. It is now a curious mix of styles and moods, endearingly human in scale but with buildings as mighty as any in Europe.
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