Rossio

Lisbon’s most central and emblematic square, Praça do Rossio (usually referred to as Rossio) is where most visitors head when they arrive in the city.  It is a good place to orient oneself when starting to discover Lisbon and a convenient place to arrange to meet friends. The classic art deco Café Nicola sits on this recently restored square and serves its own brand of rich “Nicola” coffee accompanied by a delicious range of pastries, which can also be sampled at Pastelaria Suiça. Try to catch a production inside the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, which was once a palace of the Inquisition and is today the square’s central feature, hosting some of Portugal’s best theatre and a host of talented actors.

The theatre also has a cafe esplanade which is gas heated in winter for year-round people watching. A statue of Dom Pedro IV (a.k.a Pedro I, as the first emperor of Brazil) stands above a marble pedestal depicting figures representing various virtues. Many claim that the statue was originally of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, who was assassinated before it could be delivered to him and that the statue was then bought cheaply and displayed as a statue of Pedro IV. The strength of this story seems undiminished by various facts that contradict it.