Fado is the national song of Portugal and the Portuguese word for fate, and the mournful songs of the fadistas lament the powerlessness of individual hopes and dreams in the face of the cruel, indifferent world.

Lisbon has suffered more than its own share of pain: the earthquake, tidal wave and fire of 1755 became a symbol of fate’s random cruelty when Voltaire invoked the disaster to mock those who believed in divine providence. Less cataclysmically, a fire swept through Baixa in 1988, damaging many of the buildings constructed in the years following the earthquake.

It is not all doom and gloom, though, and while Lisbon may have declined from the golden era when exotic goods would flow in from all corners of the empire, it remains a beautiful place. The regeneration associated with Expo 98 and its spell as European City of Culture in 1994 have brought people back to the city, and this summer will further raise its profile. Just before the football tournament begins, one of the world’s biggest rock festivals, Rock in Rio, is expected to bring half a million rock fans into the city.

At the same time, Portugal will be putting on more traditional celebrations for the feasts of St John, St Peter and St Vincent. All-night street parties, concerts and copious quantities of grilled sardines will be laid on for the festivals, which take place in the second half of June.

The blend of tradition and modernity in Lisbon’s summer program of events is a perfect reflection of the city’s contrasting faces. Alongside the striking, brash developments of the Expo 98 village, the narrow streets and steep staircases of Alfama and the Bairro Alto retain an air of shabby gentility.

It is easy to get lost among the warren of steeply sloping thoroughfares, but to do so is the best way of soaking up the old-world atmosphere of the place. Dark, narrow walkways give way unexpectedly to brightly painted squares, with pink and orange walls bisected by washing lines strung from window to window.

An overview of the city is impossible from within the labyrinth of its streets, but the elevated grounds of St George’s Castle provide panoramic views of the city’s red-tiled rooftops. The castle itself, a tumbledown collection of ruins, is a perfect place for watching the sun set over the Atlantic, listening to the first elegiac strains of fado rising from the city below.

Page 2: Attractions, transport and food

Page 3: Where to stay

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WHAT TO SEE

To get a feel for Portugal’s relationship with the sea, go to the district of Belém. The entrance to the wide estuary of the Tagus River is guarded by the Belém Tower, one of the more recognisable symbols of Lisbon and the point from which Vasco da Gama set sail in 1497 on his way to discovering a sea route to India. The nearby Padrão dos Descobrimentos pays tribute to him and other Portuguese maritime explorers.

Further afield, the pleasant resort town of Cascais is just a scenic coastal drive away, and from there it is a few miles to Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point of continental Europe. Nearby, Sintra is a perennial favourite with tourists, drawn to its quaint atmosphere and views of the surrounding valleys. The only problem is that the number of coaches in the pretty little town can be quite overwhelming.

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