The Implantation of the Republic in Portugal
The annual commemoration of the Implantation of the Republic of Portugal takes place on the public holiday of October 5. The Commemoration reminds us of the events of October 4
Serra da Estrela – The Heliades, the Shepherd and the Star
Last year, around April, some friends and I decided to take a road trip from Lisbon up to Serra da Estrela, to catch a glimpse of the snow before it
The Great Escape Route
“Lisbon at present is the hub of the western universe, and it must be the most fascinating place in the world” – Irish Times, October 23, 1941. And an article
Novacene: The Coming Age of Hyperintelligence
James Lovelock CH CBE FRS is leading an extraordinary life. On July 26, 2019 he reached the age of 100, and Novacene is his latest book. Lovelock was born into an impoverished family
The Twilight of the Pepper Empire (1600–1663)
Portugal had a century start on the other European empires in the east and, in a sense, the Portuguese eastern empire lasted much longer than those of its competitors, since
The Pope’s Elephant || Part 3
Hanno’s life in Rome and his influence on Italian culture Of all his rich gifts, it was Hanno the Elephant that most pleased Pope Leo X. On days when Hanno
São Jorge Castle: the gates of Martim Moniz
Earlier this year, I took my first trip to Italy where I visited the grand capital founded by the mythological brothers Romulus and Remus across the seven hills of Rome.
In Vino St. Vincent
Once again, St Vincent’s Day (January 22) will inevitably, and sadly, pass us by almost unnoticed and, except in the Vila do Bispo municipality and the Sé in Lisbon, uncelebrated.
The Pope’s Elephant || Part 2
Part one of The Pope’s Elephant showed that immediately after his election in 1513, Pope Leo X determined to make Rome the centre of European culture. Amongst the first to
Teatro Mascarenhas Gregório
Last month I went to a concert in the Teatro Mascarenhas Gregório in Silves and I felt compelled to find out more about this beautifully restored little theatre. The theatre