The Sun-Drenched Wind of Lisbon

Five days in a decidedly different European capital: slow, melancholic and thoughtful. Beaten by the wind and full of light. Retro yet smiling. Perfect for a quiet holiday as a couple.

Perfectly visitable even in a short time: in less than a week you can still allow yourself the luxury of seeing it all without rushing, from Rossio to Rua Augusta, with a few stops at Café A Brasileira, where Pessoa used to linger. Absolutely unmissable is the visit to the São Jorge Castle: it is simply ruins, but you can lean out in every direction and admire incredible views.

The whole city, after all, is one continuous up and down... built entirely on steep hills, and it is wonderful to clamber up aboard its wooden trams. Highly recommended is buying the tram pass, which can be purchased at Praça da Figueira, cheaper than the city passes sold at the airport and absolutely practical. For those who love walking, I recommend going down from the castle to the Sé Patriarcal Cathedral. In fact another must is the Alfama district: rough and working-class, but full of smells and colours for unique emotional synaesthesia.

One warning: the Portuguese are really hard to understand! When you read it you understand it easily, but when it comes to speaking... things change! Although I speak English and French very well and a somewhat pidgin Spanish but functional, at times the only way to order what we wanted to eat was to point at it directly! This even in the main pastry shop in the centre (the Confeitaria Nacional), but the Portuguese are patient and in the end you get what you want!

The Torre de Belém is very beautiful, reachable also by tram; moreover, right in the town of Belém you absolutely must not miss the visit to the Jerónimos Monastery: entry to the church is free, while to enter the cloister there is an entrance ticket, but it is absolutely worth it since it is a true jewel of Manueline art!