Age of Rediscovery

Once the centre of an empire, Lisbon has more recently endured seriously hard times. But it’s now enjoying a well-deserved renaissance fuelled by the creativity and self-reliance forged by those hard times, writes"Madeleine Ross

The pastel streetscapes of Lisbon are perpetually bathed in a soft, diffused light reflected off white cobblestones polished by hundreds of years of traffic. Fresh seafood is the staple of every menu, handsome beaches are on the city’s doorstep, and the historic Bairro Alto district buzzes with some of the best nightlife in Europe. But for all its blessings, the picturesque Portuguese capital has only just become fashionable. “Until very recently, Lisbon looked like it had been bombed,” says Bruno Gomes, founder of the ironically named We Hate Tourism, which runs tours of the city’s hidden corners. “When I was growing up, I saw Lisbon as an elegant older lady who would have been very pretty when she was young. Lisbon 20 years ago was an empty city. Buildings were falling…

You're reading a preview of

Tatler Hong Kong (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2018

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.