Discover Chiado and feel Lisbon with ARTEH®

Lisbon October 18, 2006

In Lisbon, another edition of Festa do Chiado will be held between until the 21st of October. This mystical location of the Portuguese capital will unfold in numerous cultural activities and street entertainment with one goal, to promote the city culture and bring life to Chiado, an area that was once the nucleus of leisure before a great fire destroyed part of its history.

The program includes initiatives for all ages, and covers a number of institutions and cultural spaces of the area. On the program you will find Guided Tours around many inaccessible locations in Chiado, Classical Music Recital, Jazz, and Readings that liven up the Coffee Shops, Theaters, Museums and Churches of Chiado.

Traveling the streets of Lisbon constantly challenges our imagination and the preference of amblers. Vasco Graça Moura, Miguel Sousa Tavares, Fernando Gil, Eduardo Prado Coelho, João Lobo Antunes, Georg Baselitz, João Onofre, Júlio Guerreiro, António Rosado, José Augusto França and Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles participated, amongst other events, in previous editions of this initiative.

With Hotels in the Lisbon region, like Hotel Aviz, Bairro Alto Hotel, Hotel Britania, Hotel As Janelas Verdes, Lisboa Plaza, Palácio Belmonte, Solar do Castelo or York House, ARTEH® - Hotels and Resorts offers unique conditions and opportunities to discover Lisbon and celebrate Chiado.

For further information on ARTEH® – Hotels and Resorts please visit ARTEH®.

About Chiado

Used since 1567, the word Chiado has been applied in various situations, one of the most interesting origins is from the sound – chiar - the horse carriages made going along the typical Portuguese roman roads. A second mention refers to the nickname of a 16th Century Poet, António Ribeiro, “O Chiado”.

Traditionally the area is known for its intellectual connections, you will find various statues of literature personalities such as Fernando Pessoa, a famous 19th and 20th Century Portuguese poet, found in stone sitting at a table outside the coffee shop, “A Brasileira”.

In some occasions, the name “Chiado” is only used to identify Garrett Street - Rua Garrett, the main commercial area, named after the writer and poet Almeida Garrett. The street goes from the Chiado Square – Largo do Chiado – down town, and is famous for the shops, cafés and libraries. The area devastated by the fire has gradually been restored.

Around the Chiado Square stand two Baroque churches: the Italian Church of Loreto Church on the north and the Church of Nossa Senhora da Encarnação in front, having the exterior walls decorated essentially with tiles.
In wikipedia.org

About Lisbon

Lisbon dates back to pre-Roman times. Its early years were spent as a battleground, with Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians in turn overthrown. In 205 BC, the Romans began their two-century reign in Lisbon, which became the most important city in the western Iberian region and was renamed Felicitas Julia by Julius Caesar.

The 15th century brought the Age of Discoveries - Portugal's golden era of sea exploration. The wealth from these expeditions transformed Lisbon into the seat of a vast empire. It also spawned the extravagant Manueline architectural style, best typified in the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in Belém.

In 1755, a massive earthquake reduced the city to rubble, after which a huge reconstruction effort was made, resulting in some of the most harmonious and beautiful buildings of the late 18th century in Baixa Pombalina.

The Rio Tejo (Tagus) still dominates Lisbon life, but the main industry is now tourism as the city grows in popularity as a tourist destination. The city center is a buzzing grid of grand streets with all the trappings of any other Western European city but also rumbling old trams, antiquated funiculars and elevators that help negotiate Lisbon's steep hills.

Traditionally, the nightlife center has been Bairro Alto, with its fado clubs, traditional, canteen-style bars, and upscale discos. The simplest thing is to walk in and out of a number of them, ordering an imperial (half pint) or a caneca (pint) if the place looks especially inviting. The bars are open until 04h00, often with lock-ins. The minimum age for purchasing alcohol is 16 years. Much of the action has moved on to the Docas (Docks) district, just to the east of Ponte 25 de Abril. One bar after another occupies a row of converted warehouses at the Doca de Santo Amaro, with a crowded promenade and tables out front.

Fado is a form of music that developed in Lisbon in sailors' bars during the late eighteenth century. It is a mournful, romantic singing style that fits somewhere between blues and flamenco and bemoans the death of Portugal's great Golden Age. These traditional sounds are best heard at one of the Casas do Fado.

In Câmara Municipal de Lisboa Official Website

About the Hotels

To complete the experience and extend sensations in an unforgettable manner, ARTEH® has some of the best charming hotels of the region for an accommodation that are guaranteed to prolong the emotions.

As Janelas Verdes

Open the windows and let in romance from an epoch gone by.

Next to the Ancient Art Museum, in the historical and romantic Rua das Janelas Verdes, there is an austere and discreet stately house, dating from the 18th century, to behold. This is a house where one wants to discover every detail, feel its romantic and welcoming atmosphere and relive the stories of a past Lisbon.

The hotel As Janelas Verdes neo-classical interior features a living room that exalts the fireplace, the ancient piano, the furniture, the books, the paintings and the small artworks. An elegant spiral staircase leads into the large, cheerful and sunny rooms. From the library a romantic garden is visible, the iron tables and chairs, the small fountain and the climbing plant wound into the iron stairs climbing into the balconies of the rooms all catch the eye.

Bairro Alto Hotel

A reference to luxury in the historical and cultural centre of Lisbon.

With its eyes set on Luís de Camões Square and very close to the São Carlos National Theatre in Lisbon the luxurious and cosmopolitan Bairro Alto Hotel is implanted into the former Grand Hotel de l’ Europe, where most of the renowned European artists once stayed during the 19th and 20th century.

In the cosy and sophisticated rooms and suites, as in all the hotel spaces, contemporary touches were combined with details from the thirties and fifties. The wood floors, the walnut furniture, the woollen rugs and the varied linen and silk fabrics are all of special note and are accompanied by frescoes on the walls.

At the restaurant exceptional cosmopolitan cuisine can be appreciated. On the terrace, the unique sunset over the city embraced by the Tagus River should be admired. In the evening, the surrounding bohemian Bairro Alto is proof that certain things never change.

Hotel Aviz

Experience modern Lisbon with refinement of the past.

Well in the centre of Lisbon, the new Hotel Aviz maintains the spirit of the Picoas palace that had once been its home and symbolised the romantic 1940s Lisbon. Kings, movie actors, spies and the cream of society at the time all came through this hotel due to its reputation of having the most luxurious service and the best kitchen.

Currently the hotel exhibits a modern and attractive architectural style whilst retaining the charm of a classical and timeless decor. From the memory of the past, besides amassing a vast number of items from the estate of the old Aviz, its atmosphere, class and tradition of good hospitality were also recovered.

Some of the refined suites bear the names and details of the celebrities that made the hotel renowned like Calouste Gulbenkian, Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner and Eva Péron, amongst others.

Hotel Britania

Relive the refinement of the past and make your own history.

The Hotel Britania can be found in a 1940’s building designed by Cassiano Branco, renowned contemporary architect. The set of many stories, of heated conversations between the intellectuals and artists of the time, and of war time conspiracies featuring diplomats and spies, this hotel is worthy of your stay.

Considered one of the most luxurious hotels in Lisbon, its design perfectly harmonises the Art Deco style with nationalist icons. This inheritance has been preserved and the recent restoration of the building and its antique furniture, have enabled it to become listed as a building of historical interest.

Palácio Belmonte

Enjoy reading a book while occasionally watching the city of Lisbon from its roof tops.

Lisbon’s most ancient palace, the “Palácio Belmonte”, is set in the historical city centre on the hill of the São Jorge Castle.

The suites were decorated with an individual and modern style. Each room was named after a culturally renowned Portuguese personality and antique furniture was brought into harmony with contemporary works of art.

Hotel Lisboa Plaza

Experience the atmosphere, the character and the tradition of a hotel dedicated to wellbeing.

Located next to the cosmopolitan Avenida da Liberdade, its eyes set on the Botanical Gardens, is the classical Hotel Lisboa Plaza, an icon of hospitality and heritage in the city of Lisbon.

The façade is austere with an international style. The enveloping spaces are full of charm and comfort thanks to the classical design conceived by Graça Viterbo and the attention given to all the details. The hotel maintains its character, harmoniously combining the tradition of its history with the demands of modern times in a spirit of great versatility.

Solar do Castelo

Venture away from the safety of the battlements and conquer the city of Lisbon.

At the top of the city of Lisbon, within the walls of the São Jorge Castle, the noble Solar do Castelo was born, fruit of the refurbishment of the Palace of Kitchens, built in the second half of the 18th century on the grounds of the ancient Royal Kitchens.

On both its levels and the mansard, on the main patio and in the gardens, the signs of medieval times and the Pombal pattern tiles, along with pastoral motifs, confer richness and originality to this small palace.

York House

After a well spent day or before a night spent well, retreat to the garden to delight in a candle-lit supper.

By the Tagus River, in the centre of Lisbon, and receiving guests for over a hundred years, York House resulted from the adaptation of the early XVII century “Convento dos Marianos”.

A small patio replete with trees, flowers, and plants is located at the centre of the building, and proves to be an ideal refuge to rest, relax and enjoy an evening drink.

The rooms, set around the patio, combine design with touches of elegance, in harmony with the style of the building, some of which offer a magnificent view of the river and the roof tops of the city.

About ARTEH® – Hotels and Resorts

Best Independent Hotel Chain – Publituris Awards 2004 and 2005

ARTEH® – Hotels and Resorts is a soft brand independent Hotel Chain with a Luxury Collection of Charming & Exclusive Boutique Hotels and Resorts, with Golf and Spa.

ARTEH® offers a different lifestyle, in an exquisite and charming environment, be it to get away from daily stress, for a relaxing weekend, prolonged vacations or even a business event.

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For further information on ARTEH® please visit ARTEH®.

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