Discovering a city chasing the traces of artists or writers who have lived there and revealing the most secret and hidden aspects, is one of the most exciting "games" to be made on the road. A Lisbon, a city particularly loved by writers and intellectuals, our virtual guide can only be Fernando Pessoa, the most beloved Portuguese poet in the world, whose bronze statue of natural size, which portrays him sitting at one of the typical coffee tables of the Café A Brasileira in Rua Garrett 120, seems to be waiting for us to walk around the city.
Our itinerary can then start right from here, from what is one of the oldest and most famous coffee in Lisbon, opened in 1905 as a shop for the sale of the "real Brazilian coffee" and classified in 1997 as "Portuguese architectural heritage".
Let's go. Casa Fernando Pessoa, in Rua Coelho da Rocha 16, a cultural center opened in 1993 to celebrate its memory. Located in the Campo de Ourique district, in which the poet has spent the last 15 years of his life, the center hosts an auditorium, gardens, rooms for events, works of art and a bookcase totally dedicated to poetry.
For lunch, stop at Café Martinho from Arcada in Praça do Comércio 3, a historic place often frequented by the "quiet poet", in which you can enjoy the excellent traditional Portuguese cuisine.
Stroller for the narrow Lisbon city centre, we reach the district of the Rossio, where in Praça D. Pedro IV is the historical Tabacaria Mónaco, inaugurated in 1893, which still retains the original style and much of the interior decorations, including numerous works of art of famous artists, such as a painting by Rosendo Carmalheira and azulejos by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro.
At dinner time, we head towards Restaurante Pessoa in Rua dos Douradores 190, which takes its name from the same poet, where you can taste local specialties. Another place dear to the artist is the Cervejaria (brewery) Beira Gare whose specialties are grilled cod, hake fillets and seafood.
To finish the day spent in the name of the most expensive places in Pessoa, at this point it is a must visit to the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Rua de Serpa Pinto 9 that offers every evening symphonic concerts and operas that report to another era.
