FROM THE ORDERLY LABIRINTH OF BAIRRO ALTO OR THE PLEASURES AND TEMPTATIONS OF CHIADO ONE GETS THE IDEA THAT THE 1755 EARTHQUAKE CAME AND WAS GONE WITHOUT LEAVING THE SLIGHTEST DAMAGE. IT IS NOT SO. STILL IT IS THE PLACE WHERE VISITORS BELIEVES THE CITY ORIGINATED FROM.
After the tragedy that shook the earth, buried the dead and cared for the living, Baixa became ‘pombalina’ by the strong hand and wisdom of Marquês de Pombal, that ruled the country for the king D. José I. From the Cais das Colunas pier one sees the south margin of the river Tagus, and then, respectfully, walks away to embrace the broadness of Terreiro do Paço, the largest square in the city and one of its landmarks. Along the arcades one will find hotels, restaurants, mythical coffee shops, terraces, the Lisbon Story Centre and the main tourism office.
After crossing the triumphal arch at the entrance of Rua Augusta, one must go all the way up this pedestrian street to Rossio, with the National Theatre as backdrop, fountains, flower stalls, century old confectioners, happy memories and ghosts. By taking the Santa Justa lift one will reach the Carmo convent ruins, where you will see the scars left by the earthquake. From there it is only a couple of steps to Largo da Misericórdia. Some say it is where Chiado starts flaunting its immodesty, showing that Lisbon is still its old self but also proving it has everything a tourist will take for granted back home.
Old bookstores and antique dealers multiply in the area, and also stores that pop-up and shut down (for in Chiado no one dwells in misfortune nor slumber in success). And, from the square with the statue dedicated to the poet Camões, you will find the local pearls: A Brasileira coffee shop, where the statue of the poet Fernando Pessoa sits at a table, Bertrand, the oldest book store in the world (1732), the S. Carlos theatre, churches where bells toll at the hour or just for pleasure, and a large array of stores and restaurants, some over a century old, looking flawless and reminding us that the terrible fire of 1988 fortunately did not hit all of Chiado. This is the meeting point of the city.
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