City Go

Lisbon Botanical Garden was founded in 1873, a part of the Lisbon Polytechnic School, intended for scientific research and teaching from the beginning. The place which was chosen for the garden, hill Olivete, already had a long tradition in botanical studies, as the school had previously been the Jesuit College of Cotovia (1609-1759) and the Royal College of Nobles (1761-1837). However, only in 1873, by the initiative of Count of Ficalho, did the current garden start being planted. When it was inaugurated the garden was considered one of the best in Europe and even for today's standards it displays an impressive collection of sub-tropical vegetation. Located on a hill, it's ideal to accommodate a large diversity of plants, with the cactus and succulent plants, which resist better to the heat and sun, on the top and the plants that need more moisture on the bottom. In Summer there can be a difference of 2ºC between top and bottom. The garden includes between 1...

The Foz Palace, originally known as Castelo Melhor Palace, was built in the 18th century after the old palace of the Marquis of Castelo Melhor was destroyed by the 1755 earthquake.The construction of the palace was suspended when the Marquis died and was only resumed a few decades later, in 1846. It was finally concluded in 1858. However, the family didn't live in the palace for long as it was sold to Tristão Guedes, later Marquis of Foz, after whom the palace is named. Tristão Guedes ordered a substantial renovation of the building, inspired by the 18th-century French architecture. From this period there are the famous Louis XIV style staircase, the Louis XV style hall of mirrors, decorated by a well known Portuguese painter, Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro (unfortunately one of his poorest works, dubbed the infanticide of painting), a Louis XVI style room decorated by another famous Portuguese painter, Jose Malhoa. The Marquis of Foz eventually went bankrupt and the pal...