A Tour of Lisbon’s Roman Galleries
This weekend, if you passed by Rua da Prata, you might have noticed some people walking up and down from a hole in the middle of the road. If you’re a local, you probably know they were visiting the Lisbon Roman Galleries.
Every year you see a massive line of people excited to see this hidden gem. Some people waited almost four hours and ended up not getting in! Luckily, this year they were smart enough to hand out tickets in advance and avoid this madness all over again.
“Six o’clock sharp — you need to be on this website and book a ticket,” that’s all I said to Nick. He was completely clueless about what he was applying for, but it was only a matter of minutes before the tickets sold out.
To all of you that missed out on it this time, you have the chance to see it again in September, so stay tuned!
How to book a tour of the Roman Galleries: Free tours are announced twice a year on the website of the Lisbon Museum and their Facebook page.
History of the galeries
They don’t know how long these galleries have been here or what was their actual purpose. Our guide said that they were probably established around the 1st century BC and used as a storage facility.
The galleries were then rediscovered in 1770 — two decades after Lisbon’s devastating earthquake. At the time, they served as an underground structure for many buildings and a water resource before piped water existed in the city.
The reason why the galleries only open twice a year has to do with the logistics of opening it to the public; from pumping out the water that usually fills up space, to setting up electricity cables to light it all up.
They are also concerned that if it’s open permanently, the place might get damaged. To prevent this from happening, they keep a device inside the galleries to track any sudden changes in the structure.
Hidden gems in Lisbon
Pollux*
We were quite early for the visit, so I decided to go see another secret spot in Lisbon— Pollux.
I probably walked by this place hundreds of times, and I had no clue there was a rooftop café inside. I would never have found it if I hadn’t seen it featured on Instagram the other day.
Rua dos Fanqueiros 276 — google that, and you will find a home decor store, but it’s also the main entrance to this hidden café. There are no signs whatsoever until you go inside and spot the elevator.
Still, it’s hard to miss that, on the 9th floor of this building, you have one of the best views of the Santa Justa Elevator and the Carmo Convent.
*EDIT: This place is now closed.
Pátio de Dom Fradique*
This square is one of my favorite places in the city. A random turn, when we were coming back from downtown one day, lead us to this quirky little corner.
I’ve seen big colorful letters, graffiti, abandoned buildings, and recently, a giant flower cube featured in this Alfama stretch.
Yesterday, we sat for the first time at the café in the corner, which gave me another reason to stop here more often.
I also found out there is a 15th-century palace in this square, which is now a hotel called Palácio Belmonte. If I was a tourist, you would probably find me here.
*EDIT: This place is constantly changing, so you won’t find it exactly as you see it in the pictures below!
