Restaurants, bars and museums in Lisbon · Page 6

Praça da Figueira

Mouraria

Squares, Streets & Bridges

Praça da Figueira, whose name translates as Square of the Fig Tree, is a public square in central Lisbon at Praça da Figueira, 1100-240 Lisboa. The listing places it in the Mouraria neighbourhood, while other descriptions set it in the downtown Baixa district. It works as a major transit hub and a gateway for exploring the historic centre, and locals treat it as a meeting point. Buses cycle through the square, vendors set up, and the surrounding buildings have nineteenth century facades, pastry counters and views toward the castle. The ground has a layered past. Before the 1755 earthquake, the site held the All Saints Royal Hospital, which was Lisbon's main hospital. The earthquake wrecked it, and merchants began gathering over its ruins. The area went on to become the city's central market, and in the nineteenth century it was the main place where Lisbon residents did their daily shopping. An iron structure was built for it, in the manner of markets such as Covent Garden, and King Luis and Queen Maria Pia launched it in 1885. One source describes a covered hall of 8,000 square meters built in the 1880s. The market was closed and ordered dismantled in 1947 so the square could open to traffic, although another source gives 1949 as the year the hall was removed. The square is anchored by a bronze equestrian statue of King João I, the 14th century ruler tied to Portugal's independence at Aljubarrota. Leopoldo de Almeida sculpted it, and it was unveiled in 1971. It doubles as a handy rendezvous point. The big permanent market is long gone, though small stall clusters or seasonal events sometimes appear. A blog post from December 2014 says Praça da Figueira receives a pop-up market called Figueira Marca-te, or Figueira Marks You, on the last weekend of each month. It gathers local producers, regional products and artisans, with teas, chocolates, convent sweets, sausages, suckling pig sandwiches, hot wine in winter and breads from various parts of Portugal, paired with cheeses of Alentejo and Serra da Estrela. Rossio station on the Metro's Green line has an exit directly to the square, and Rossio Railway Station, used for Sintra day trips, is a short walk away. Several Carris routes and tram connections stop on the edges. For sweets, Confeitaria Nacional, dating from 1829, is known for seasonal bolo-rei, and side streets toward Rossio and Baixa have tascas and bakeries.

Venues.