{"id":16950,"date":"2018-12-18T15:53:17","date_gmt":"2018-12-18T15:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/devourlisbonfoodtours.com\/?p=1888"},"modified":"2018-12-18T15:53:17","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T15:53:17","slug":"hidden-lisbon-mouraria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dev.devourtours.com\/blog\/hidden-lisbon-mouraria\/","title":{"rendered":"Hidden Lisbon: Mouraria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Mouraria is a tough neighborhood to pinpoint on a map but ask the locals who live there, and they have no trouble explaining to you that the oddly shaped neighborhood is somehow wedged under the Gra\u00e7a and Castelo hills, a couple of side streets to the right of Baixa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mouraria is as diverse in stories as it is in its residents. This is the birthplace of fado, of which you see clear references at Rua do Capel\u00e3o. But this is also the home of generations of immigrants from China, Vietnam, India, Bangladesh, Nepal. For now, gentrification still seems to be at bay in the more central streets. It\u2019s where the authenticity of the community still stands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photo credit: Sandra Henriques Gajjar<\/a>; Text Overlay: Devour Lisbon Food Tours<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Look for hidden corners and don\u2019t be afraid to climb up or down any steep stairs you come across to see where it leads you. Unlike in Alfama<\/a>, it will hardly have you barging into someone\u2019s private courtyard. It might take you to the unattractive back of an apartment building or it might show you a different angle of the Castelo de S\u00e3o Jorge<\/a> on top of the hill. Most people don\u2019t know about this, but Mouraria\u2019s location is perfect to find those hidden corners of Lisbon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The smells coming out of different restaurants mixing instead of clashing in what feels like a culinary trip through the world. But, in fact, you haven\u2019t left the same street. It\u2019s so simple and yet it sums up what we mean by cultural diversity in Mouraria. What can be better than tasting different cuisines through dishes with a homemade feel without going too far from one restaurant to the next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hearing will probably be your most alert sense when you reach the heart of Mouraria. The immigrant communities talking in their native tongues and switching to Portuguese when a customer or a Portuguese neighbor approaches. Switch to the more touristy streets and fado music, live or recorded, takes over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When local authenticity becomes picturesque for tourists, the balance for local communities may be at risk. In the heart of Mouraria, away from tour guides\u2019 routes and must-see lists, small businesses still find contentment in catering to their neighbors. It\u2019s not unusual that they buy goods from one another, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seen from the top of Miradouro Senhora do Monte<\/a>, Mouraria looks like a conglomerate of buildings and back alleys without order or plan. Most tourists won\u2019t venture down the stairs next to this viewpoint that leads right into what is still the \u201creal\u201d Mouraria, probably convinced there\u2019s nothing there worth seeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apart from the long lines for Lisbon tram 28<\/a> near the Martim Moniz square and some spots linked to the history of Fado, Mouraria doesn\u2019t seem to appeal to tourists at all. Once in a while, a solo rogue traveler following their smartphone map app might find themselves on a shortcut from Martim Moniz to Intendente that turned out to be the best detour of their trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Life in Mouraria is still neighborhood-like. Of all the things you come to Lisbon to see, this is the most rewarding (and “un-instagrammable”) of all.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMouraria is for the Senses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Everyday Life in the Mouraria Neighborhood<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Eating and Shopping in Mouraria<\/h2>\n\n\n\n