A palace in Lisbon
Thu, 11 Oct 2012
We received the following email the other day from Joana: I thought you might want to take a look at Palácio Belmonte in Lisbon, Portugal. It's right in the heart of the old district of Castelo, two steps away from the castle. Palácio Belmonte was a noble family's residence for centuries; it has probably one of the best views in the city. It was one of the first palaces built in Lisbon (it dates back to 1449). It fell, however, in neglect; in the 90's, already in ruins, it was bought and patiently restored by a french entrepreneur. It is now a luxury hotel. I'm an architecture student and a photographer; when I came across the palace, by chance, I had no idea it even existed. You can walk right by it and not even notice it's there. There was a man playing the piano, though, and the music led to a cup of coffee, which led to a small walk inside the Palace. More than one year later, I eventually asked the owner for permission to go and take pictures; those are the images I'm sending you. WOW. I've always wanted to visit Portugal...and now I'm more determined than ever. This hotel is beautiful, and so are your photos Joana!
