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alking from S. Roque up to Rato, you pass through one of the nicest parts of Lisbon. An area of mansions and residential buildings, with shops one after the other interspersed with gardens, where there is always a friendly shade to rest under. The heart of this area is the Jardim do Príncipe Real. This public garden, an open space in the heart of the city, welcomes people out for a walk, lovers reclining on wooden benches, old men playing cards around their customary tables, children playing on the playground fence and those who just want to relax over a cool drink. Oliveira’s kiosk is one of the local meeting points. It is a place to listen to music, talk and make plans. It is also frequented by students and their bubbly chatter. In the garden, you can buy newspapers and there’s even a small second-hand bookseller who exhibits his books on a stall everyday. On Saturday mornings there’s a market selling organic produce for those who prefer healthier food.
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f the trees could speak, they would have a tale or two to tell… In medieval days, a Castilian king camped his troops on this spot and surrounded the city walls. The people of the city and surrounding areas sought refuge in Lisbon to escape the Castilian army and helped the Master of Avis (the future king of Portugal) to defend the city. It was an area of scattered houses, with olive groves and vineyards, as today’s street names still reveal – Rua do Monte Olivete (Mount Olive Street), Rua da Vinha (Vineyard Street). Only in the 17th century did the first buildings start to go up in what was then known as Cotovia. A nobleman, the Count of Tarouca, decided to build a palace there that promised to be one of the most majestic in all of Lisbon. But work stopped, the stone intended for the palace was left and everything crumbled during the earthquake in 1755. The Marquis of Pombal then or-
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dered the Peniche Regiment to quarter there, an event that also left its mark on the local street names. As the Patriarchal Church in Paço da Ribeira had been razed by the earthquake, Cotovia was chosen as the site for the new one. But that did not last long either and in 1759 was completely burnt down and the square, Largo da Cotovia, came to be known as the “Patriarcal Queimada”, or “Burned Patriarchal”. In 1790, work began on clearing the rubble for a new palace – the Erário Régio – whose monumental design led one foreign traveller to comment ironically that it was “vast enough to hold the treasures of all the kings in Europe”. But this did not see the light of day either. Finally, in July 1861, the plans for the square that had already been christened Príncipe Real were approved and an English-style garden was built. And since then it has had the look it has today: a pleasant place to relax with a variety of large trees offering a lovely shade and winding paths flanking flowering borders, skirted by low iron fencing. In the middle, an octagonal water tank provides the garden with sustenance and countless benches beckon you to stop for a while. Around it stand beautiful mansions, former residences of the landed gentry and wealthy bourgeoisie. In the 19th century, the area was considered elegant and different and an extremely desirable place to live. Scattered around the gardens are a few monuments: one to França Borges, its patron, a bust of Sousa Viterbo and another of Antero de Quental. But what really takes centre stage is the wonderful cypress, one of the most beautiful trees in Lisbon, which fans out in the shape of a giant parasol, due to the frame erected to support it. Like a circular crown, it projects a refreshing shade all around it. Beside its trunk can be read several anonymous romantic verses engraved on a wooden plaque and dedicated to passers-by. But the garden still has one last surprise in store. To find out what, keep turning the pages! •