Lomography

Rossio Square
written by paper_doll on December 3rd, 2008 , 4 comments (0 votes)

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Rossio (or Praça do Rossio) is one of the most beautiful squares in Lisbon (Portugal) and my favorite one! Its real name is Dom Pedro IV Square, as an homage to Pedro IV, King of Portugal as well as first Emperor of Brazil.

Rossio is located in the Pombaline downtown of Lisbon and has been one of its main squares since the middle ages. It has been the setting of popular revolts and celebrations, bullfights and executions, and is now the liveliest square in the city, where people stop to sit and relax, or for a drink at the several atmospheric cafes with outdoor sitting, like the Café Nicola, which dates from the 18th century. Other traditional shops include the Pastelaria Suíça and the Ginjinha.

On either side of the square are two baroque fountains. I’m going to let you in on a little secret: at the end of September, it is tradition for older students to baptize the freshmen as they are about to enter the University. This is part of something we call “praxe”!
Between the two fountains is a monument measuring 27 meters in height. It consists of a pedestal with marble allegories of “Justice”, “Wisdom”, “Strength”, and “Moderation”, qualities attributed to Dom Pedro IV, whose statue stands on top of the monument.

In the 19th century the square was paved with cobblestones in wave patterns, a design seen today in many other pavements all over Portugal, and that has spread to Portugal’s former colonies, from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) to Macao (China). On the north side of the square is the Dona Maria II National Theater, a monumental neoclassical building built in the 1840s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rossio