A new Lisbon rises from the old
Words by Rita Branco
To begin your journey we invite you to take a closer look at an almost forgotten side of Lisbon: Braço de Prata. Located between Santa Apolónia and Oriente, it’s not the most charming area in the city, but in recent times it has become a place where new things find a start. Pioneers in recycling forgotten buildings, the cultural center Fábrica Braço de Prata was created back in 2007. Formerly a factory where war materials were manufactured, it is now a place to cultivate new ideas: since it replaced gunpowder with books, this special spot locks up between its doors countless proposals: from live music to art exhibitions, poetry sessions, dance meetings and other gatherings. Due to its variety of rooms, there is always something happening. It has twelve doors in total, all hiding secrets and each one with its own purpose: four exhibition rooms, another one for film projections, other for musical performances, a bookstore and a couple of bars. A place of leisure filled with a young and dynamic crowd.
Moving to one of the oldest neighborhoods in the heart of Lisbon, Anjos, there’s a place called Taberna das Almas, another cultural association born out of a deactivated glass factory. With two floors and three different rooms, this place made out of wood and full of personality, wants to revitalize the area by promoting and supporting all sorts of cultural projects. Since 2012, every road leads to Feira das Almas on the first Saturday of every month: this alternative market presents sixty projects every new edition, from vintage shopping and handicraft to brand new designers and labels, always accompanied by live music. Being the place where online shops gain a temporarily physical space, big traveling bags are turned into showcases and young artists exhibit their work, Feira das Almas brings a fresh idea into traditional business.
To the occidental side, Príncipe Real is a stylish area on its own. Full of old buildings being renovated and with a young population moving in, this rich neighborhood is becoming a serious shopping spot surrounded by gardens. Built in 1857, Ribeiro da Cunha Palace, was not only part of the New University of Lisbon once, it was the stage for a French TV show also. Right in front of Príncipe Real Garden, the brand new fashion bazaar opened its doors for the first time in early September, 2013. This stately Neo-Moorish building has been recovered and turned into a place where art, business and lifestyle meet, and gathers fifteen entrepreneurs shops over two floors. From fashion to beauty, furniture to music, a restaurant and a space dedicated to temporary art exhibitions, this commercial area combines tradition with innovation and creativity, keeping its interiors intact, where every room has a story to tell, and giving an opportunity to the labels to be in direct touch with their customers.
Extending south of Príncipe Real, there’s the bohemian Bairro Alto. At number 59 of Rua da Barroca, ZDB pops up. Zé dos Bois is an art center living in an eighteenth century palace that was abandoned for ten years: Baronesa de Almeida Palace, a place where writer Almeida Garrett once lived, lodges a non profit organization since 1997 and it has been existing as a space for creation and promotion of contemporary art and the alternative scene, with a special attention to experimentation and exploration of emerging artistic languages. Hosting more than 150 art events per year, including residencies and educational programs, spreading emergent visual art proposals and with a diversified schedule of live music performances, ZDB also has a bookstore, a bar and a terrace where film projections happen periodically.
Moving towards occidental Lisbon, right in front of Estrela Garden, you will find A Montra, which will be occupying number 132 of Calçada da Estrela until October, 2014. During an entire year, this cultural intervention will rehabilitate an abandoned street shop and will turn its window into an art gallery. Every month, an artist is going to produce an art work for that particular place, a feast for the eyes that is available at any time of the day.
To put an end to our journey, LX Factory seems to be a good choice. Once one of the most important manufacturing complexes in Alcântara, it is today a factory of experiences and ideas. Although the mechanical environment is still alive, its residents are now very different: creative people and original companies have been reviving the complex since 2007. LX Factory is to everyone and for everyone, this creative island of fashion, advertisement, communication, fine arts and music has a lot of different commercial and gastronomic spaces, and it also organizes the LX Market every Sunday, a fair for handmade pieces, small DIY brands and second hand opportunities.
From the oriental to the occidental side of Lisbon, here are six bets on the Portuguese new cultural scene. Six different places with a mutual goal: give Lisbon a new dimension and bring life to the city, promoting all sort of arts and entrepreneur ships as a unifier, and using the old to create a better new.
So you feel like visiting Lisboa, do you? Book your flights here!
Imagen de Ricardo Junqueira
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Limoges Finer Than Its Porcelain
A city of art and history located in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Limoges is internationally renowned for its whiteporcelain,which first entered production in the late 18th century, thanks to the discovery in the city’s environs of abundant kaolin deposits.
Hence, if you travel to Limoges, be sure to take one of the tours which reveal the secrets of porcelain and explain just how important it was to this land over the last few centuries. The highlight of this tour is a visit to the Adrien Dubouché National Museum which, after a recent refurbishment, features the richest collection of Limoges porcelain in the world. This includes works representing the great periods in the history of ceramics. The museum tour takes you on a journey through time, starting in antiquity, crossing continents and civilisations and gradually leading up to the most contemporary creations. Curiosities include a ceramic sternum and electrical insulation made of porcelain.
Another place of technological and historical interest on this unique route through Limoges porcelain is the Musée du Four des Casseaux, home to one of the last surviving porcelain kilns in the area. This industrial building dating from 1904 pays special tribute to its workers, particularly those who died young of lung diseases caused by inhaling silicas. Here, visitors can witness the two firings used to make porcelain – the first at 980°C and the second at 1400°C.
Your itinerary around the Limoges porcelain scene should be rounded off by a visit to the points of manufacture and sale of these valuable wares. One of them is Bernardaud, a company whose savoir-faire is perpetuated in their refined lines, subtle colours and original forms, in keeping with the times. Another emblematic house of porcelain is Jacques Pergay, located on the outskirts of Limoges, which produces elegant, unique pieces and ever more beautiful whites.
Limoges – A City of Hidden Corners
The fame of its porcelain has not eclipsed the beauty of one of the most picturesque cities in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, although it is still scarcely frequented by Spanish tourists.
The city is divided into districts, of which the Cathedral District and Butchers District are among the most emblematic. Prominent in the former, as its name suggests, is the Gothic Cathedral of Saint-Étienne and the Palais de l’Évêché museum and botanical gardens, located on the banks of the river Vienne, in addition to the Musée de la Résistance. On the Rue de la Boucherie you can visit the traditional Butcher’s House, featuring a recreation of the living conditions of an 18th-century butcher’s family – the butcher’s guild was the most powerful one in Limoges at the time.
Before leaving Limoges, make a point of visiting its unusual Art-Deco train station, as well as some interesting buildings adorned with porcelain features, such as the City Hall, Central Market and Louyat Cemetery.
Book your Vueling to Bordeaux and make your getaway to Limoges.
Text by Tus Destinos
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Customs and traditions
Palermo is an open air museum; the different architectural styles intermingle through its streets as if it were a history book . This great artistic legacy is the visible testimony to the influences of the various cultures that have lived in it.
Quattro Canti, the epicenter of Palermo’s historic center, is an octagonal square formed by the intersection of two major roads: Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda, which are surrounded by four identical facades adorned with baroque sculptures. The seventeenth century square is also called Il Teatro del sole, since the sun gradually illuminates each part of the square thoughout the day. The four fountains in the square point to the four historic districts: Kalsa to the southeast, Amalfitania to the northeast and Sincaldi Albergheria to the northwest and southwest.
The beauty of this city lies within the chaotic streets, particularly in the Capo district. It is one of the oldest areas of Palermo, and houses a maze of rocks and semi-destroyed churches.The Capo District is an abandoned, quiet location in the center, away from the chaotic and noisy traffic.
Some aspects to consider in Palermo
In the Antica Focacceria .S Francesco, established in 1834, you can taste the rich palermitana gastronomy. Specialties include the "panino meusa", a sandwich made of boiled spleen, lung and liver of bezerro, and the "arancini", an emblem of Sicilian gastronomy. It´s said to be the first local town who refused to pay the "pizzo", a tax that businesses have to give the mafia. Another great place to try the local cuisine is the Vuccira market .Here you can buy fresh produce, eat typical fried food, such as croquettes, fried vegetables, or fried fish, and visit stalls offering the usual panini.
The Opera of Pupi, marionettes consisting of three Sicilian threads representing chivalrous fights, is one of the Sicilian traditions. To learn about the Sicilian puppet theater workshop, which has been a way of life for generations for this family, visit the Cuticchio on Via Bara all'Olivera to admire the collection dating back to the early nineteenth century. To this day, the workshop displays musical instruments, puppets and essence machinery. The Cuticchio is magical! Or visit the Museum of Antonio Pasqualino 4000, which houses a collection of puppets from around the world.
Another great custom is Sicilians coffee, which is always accompanied by a glass of water and ordered at the bar. Keep in mind that ordering table service may increase the cost by 50%.
Finally, a curiosity we discovered in the award-winning documentary "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" is a typical hand gesture in the shape of horns, called "malocchio". The documentary explains the origin of this superstitious gesture which is typical amongst older Sicilian women in the street in order to avoid the evil eye. Heavy metal fans started making this gesture in concerts after it was introduced by Ronnie James DIO.
A place well worth discovering! Check out our flights here.
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Six Essential Sites in Nantes
Situated in France’s Loire Country, although Breton at heart, Nantes is a vibrant city which hosts a large number of cultural events every year. The most prominent of these is undoubtedly A Journey to Nantes, a festival at which artists display their works in the streets. If you happen to visit Nantes, here are the six emblematic sights in the old Breton capital.
Castle of the Dukes of Brittany. We begin with a historic monument, the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany. It is the last castle situated on the banks of the Loire before it runs into the Atlantic. This elegant castle now houses the Nantes History Museum.
Graslin Square. Here, in the vicinity of the green Cours Cambronne esplanade, are two must-see sights – the Nantes Opera House, a neoclassical building with statues dedicated to Molière and Racine, and the Art Nouveau La Cigale bar-restaurant.
Le Lieu Unique. This building, once the premises of the old LU Biscuit Factory, is divided into several areas – a performance venue, an exhibition area and a hammam, among others. Its emblematic tower affords pleasant views of the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany and the city as a whole.
Île de Nantes. The Isle of Nantes features various contemporary works by great architects, including Nouvel, Buren and Portzamparc. One of the standout landmarks is the Palais de Justice, designed by Jean Nouvel, located on the François Mitterrand quayside, which welcomes visitors to this spot.
The Machines of the Isle of Nantes and the Marine Worlds Carrousel. The so-called Machines of the Isle, located on the former site of the Nantes shipyards, is an unusual artistic and tourist project. It consists of sculptures of giant mechanical animals, indicating a fusion between the imaginary worlds of Jules Verne, who was born in Nantes in 1828, the visionary machines of Leonardo da Vinci and the industrial history of the city itself. Another must-see is the Marine Worlds Carrousel, a three-storey merry-go-round with a marine theme. The attraction won the Thea Award in 2014, one of the most prestigious in in the leisure theme industry.
Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery (Fosse quayside). In 1998, to mark the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, the artist Krzysztof Wodiczko and the architect Julian Bonder built a commemorative monument along the Loire dockside. The monument comprises 2,000 glass panels depicting scenes from the slave expeditions that departed from Nantes not so long ago.
Apart from these six sights, Nantes offers other charming spots that can be toured in a single weekend. Check out our flights here.
Text by María Jesús Tomé
Photos by María Jesús Tomé / Nantes Tourisme