Lisbon
The Rossio, officially Praça Dom Pedro IV, has been one of the main squares of Lisbon since the Middle Ages. It is famous for its wave-patterned pavement.
The city's living room
The Rossio has been a meeting place for the people of Lisbon for centuries. Some cafés and shops around the square date back to the 1700s.
In the 1800s came the theatre and the public gardens to the north. The square became even more popular with fashionable society.
The sea of stone
The pavement is a famous example of calçada portuguesa, paving made of white and black stones. The wave pattern imitates the ocean.
This kind of paving was born in Lisbon in the 1840s. From here it spread all over Portugal and to Portuguese-speaking cities around the world.
The column and the fountains
In the centre stands the column of Pedro IV, 23 metres high, from 1870. The bronze statue on top is by the French sculptor Élias Robert.
The two monumental fountains arrived in 1889. Their decorations are all about the sea: fish, shells, anchors and mermaids.
The theatre
On the north side is the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, finished in 1846. Its neoclassical façade, with columns, is by the Italian architect Fortunato Lodi.
