The river. The river is always there, accompanying us through Lisbon. The Tagus, where dreams are moored and the most profound desires are kept safe. Imprisoned on the quay, the river rises to the highest viewpoints and spreads over the seven hills on which Lisbon has grown.
The capital of Portugal, Lisbon is a city of ancient traditions, of clothes hung to dry across windows, the cries of street vendors, of the meticulously decorated cobblestone pavements, the traditional tile facades, the typical neighbourhoods where fado music echoes through the streets, of the festivals of popular saints where the sardine rules. And it is, at the same time, a cosmopolitan city, much cherished, a meeting point for the world. It is bohemian in the Bairro Alto, multi-ethnic in Mouraria, romantic in Príncipe Real, traditional in Alfama, monumental in Belém. Lisbon is a city of affections, of passions, of this universal love of sharing linked to the land by the river.
The “Our Cities” stamp issue, launched by the CTT, the Portuguese Postal Service, aims to commemorate Lisbon as a city that, over the centuries, has never lost its originality. A city built on seven hills, interlinked by streets and alleyways, with rows of houses in warm tones with roofs the colour of fire. But more than anything, it commemorates this link that the city has with the river. The river that sees everything and that everyone sees. A city of light, open on the horizon.
This link between the city and the river is part of life for the residents of Lisbon and those who visit the capital. For this reason, in recent years we have witnessed a complete rehabilitation of the waterfront and port area, from Belém Tower to Parque das Nações, with particular focus on Cais do Sodré and Ribeira das Naus, allowing for full use of the space in an open and direct relationship with the Tagus.
Ribeira das Naus is now a public space for the benefit of the people and their contact with the river. On a daily basis, thousands of tourists and residents of Lisbon spill along Avenida Ribeira das Naus and the surrounding gardens to sip a cocktail on a café terrace or to enjoy the sunset. Just next to it, Terreiro do Paço, an emblematic location in the city, achieved the status of monumental square, with a unique setting amid the seven hills and the river. The creation of the café terraces of the Arcadas da Praça made this a place of leisure and, at the same time, a place for contemplation, starting with the extraordinary viewpoint of Cais das Colunas, a point where dreams take shape and take off.
In Cais do Sodré, a transport hub for trains and boats, where dozens of new bars are flourishing, the public space is being enhanced by the creation of landscaped and tree-lined areas and by the revitalisation of the old Largo do Corpo Santo and Praça Duque da Terceira. In short, Cais do Sodré will be more than just an area for people to enjoy. Above all, it will be a meeting point between generations and cultures, recovering centuries of the river’s history.
Campo das Cebolas, too, is re-emerging as a new square facing the city. And instead of the boundary wall of Doca da Marinha, which separates Avenida Infante D. Henrique from the river, an immense tree-lined walkway will be created, extending from Santa Apolónia as far as Terreiro do Paço, incorporating Lisbon’s new Cruise Ship Terminal. Travelling on foot or by bicycle along the Ribeirinha Cycle Path, the longest in the city, it will be possible to feel the Tagus, without ever losing sight of the horizon, or the unique light that makes Lisbon one of the most beautiful of all “Our Cities”.
Câmara Municipal de Lisboa (Lisbon City Hall)
