Lisbon bears the mark of an incredible heritage with laid-back pride. The city also presents an intriguing variety of faces to those who negotiate its switchback streets. In the oldest neighborhoods, stepped alleys are lined with pastel-color houses and crossed by laundry hung out to dry; here and there miradouros (vantage points) afford spectacular river or city views. In the grand 18th-century center, black-and-white mosaic cobblestone sidewalks border wide boulevards. Elétricos (trams) clank through the streets, and blue-and-white azulejos (painted and glazed ceramic tiles) adorn churches, restaurants, and fountains.
The city was probably founded by the Phoenicians, who traded from its port. It wasn't until 205 BC, however, when the Romans linked it by road to the great Spanish cities of the Iberian Peninsula, that Lisbon prospered. The Visigoths followed in the 5th century and built the earliest fortifications on the site of the Castelo de São Jorge, but it was with the arrival of the Moors in the 8th century that Lisbon came into its own. The city flourished as a trading center during the 300 years of Moorish rule, and the Alfama -- Lisbon's oldest district -- retains its intricate Arab-influenced layout. In 1147 the Christian army led by Dom Afonso Henriques took the city after a ruthless siege that lasted 17 weeks. To give thanks for the end of Moorish rule, Dom Afonso planned a great cathedral, and the building was dedicated three years later. A little more than a century after that, the rise of Lisbon was complete when the royal seat of power was transferred here from Coimbra, and Lisbon was declared capital of Portugal.
With independence from Spain in 1640 and assumption of the throne by successive dukes of the house of Bragança, Lisbon became ever more prosperous, only to suffer calamity on November 1, 1755, when it was hit by the last of a series of earthquakes. Two-thirds of Lisbon was destroyed, and tremors were felt as far north as Scotland; 40,000 people in Lisbon died, and entire sections of the city were swept away by a tidal wave.
Under the direction of the prime minister, the Marquês de Pombal, Lisbon was rebuilt quickly and ruthlessly. The medieval quarters were leveled and replaced with broad boulevards; the commercial center, the Baixa, was laid out in a grid; and the great Praça do Comércio, the riverfront square, was planned. Essentially downtown Lisbon has an elegant 18th-century layout that remains as pleasing today as it was intended to be 250 years ago.
Of course, there are parts of Lisbon -- particularly several suburbs beyond the city center -- that lack charm. Even some of the handsome downtown areas have lost their classic Portuguese appearance as the city and its residents have become more cosmopolitan: shiny office blocks have replaced some 19th- and 20th-century art nouveau buildings and sit alongside others. And older, much-loved trams now share the streets with "fast trams" as well as with belching buses and automobiles.
But Lisbon's intrinsic, slightly disorganized, one-of-a-kind charm hasn't vanished in the contemporary mix. Lisboetas are at ease pulling up café chairs and perusing newspapers against any backdrop, whether it reflects the progress and commerce of today or the riches that once poured in from Asia, South America, and Africa. And quiet courtyards and sweeping viewpoints are never far away.
