One of the most beautiful streets of Lisbon takes us to the surprising Torel Garden. It dates back to the 19th century, it is small, discreet and its name is Júlio de Andrade.
But who was Júlio de Andrade? Besides naming this street, what is his connection to this artery that is considered to be one of the most beautiful streets of Lisbon?
Let’s find out!
Júlio de Andrade, a rich banker from the upper bourgeoisie of Lisbon, left his mark both by the aesthetics of the small palaces, and by the implementation of a curious urban equipment that we’ve revealed to you in the article The Fountain-drinking Troughs of the Sociedade Protectora dos Animais.
One of the Most Beautiful Streets of Lisbon
The Rua de Júlio de Andrade is situated in Santana Hill and it connects the Torel Garden to Campo Mártires da Pátria.
The odd-numbered side of the street only has three small palaces: the oldest, the best situated and most grandiose ones. All of them belong to the family of Júlio de Andrade, the first ones to occupy these lands.
But the even-numbered side of the street isn’t any less striking, with its eclectic-like houses and surrounded by elegant and harmonious gardens.
The street is heavily wooded with deciduous trees that in winter allow us to appreciate the architecture better and in summer they form a kind of fresh corridor until we reach the Torel Garden.
Known as the Riviera of Lisbon, it is an artery that is worth getting to know thoroughly and undoubtedly one of the most beautiful streets of Lisbon.
The no.7 and the House of the Spirits
When we enter the street from the side of Campo Mártires da Pátria we find on the no.7 the first small palace that has a very particular story.
In 1993 was filmed here part of the successful film The House of the Spirits, based on the literary work with the same name, written by Isabel Allende, and starred by Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons. The pavement was at the time covered with dirt to simulate remote times, but the street is perfectly recognisable, as well as the manor house of the protagonist’s childhood.
Re-watch the film and identify this and many other places in Lisbon.
Projected by the Italian architect Sebastião Locati, it was the Júlio de Andrade’s brother’s residence, Alfredo de Andrade, a painter and an architect of Italian training, responsible for the organisation of the landscape of this street.
The Small Palace Virtus on no.5
Also in Italian style, this time from the architect César Janz, posteriorly altered by Norte Júnior, this beautiful house was the residence of Júlio de Andrade himself.
In its façade, we can observe one of the rare exemplars of Italian mosaic compositions existent in Lisbon. Notice the sheen and vivacity of the colours of this magnificent panel.
This small palace has had various uses. Here used to be the headquarters of the news agency ANOP, later of LUSA and the CENJOR, a training centre for journalists.
It was recently restored and is today an exquisite event venue, being the catering assured by the respected Casa da Comida.
The no.3 and the Xuventude da Galiza
This magnificent small palace belonged to Júlio de Andrade’s sister, Guilhermina Bastos. It was, just like the first one, projected by the architect Sebastião Locati and it constitutes another beautiful eclectic-like exemplar of the 19th century.
In the 70’s, after many years of being abandoned, it was occupied by the Infantário Popular Ribeiro dos Santos (Nursery School). This institution, later given the status of public utility, proposed to pay rent to the owner Manuel Bulhosa. However, he forced the nursery school to leave, donating the building to become the headquarters of the Xuventude da Galiza, institution that still occupies this house.
In the old garages, transformed into a canteen during the time of the nursery school, is a restaurant today. In addition to the magnificent view that it offers, it has another particularity: it is one of the last restaurants of Lisbon that still has privados. That is tables divided by wood separators that allow isolation and privacy in relation to the ampler meal room. It is certainly a must-visit place.
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No.1, Torel Garden
Number 1, Rua de Júlio de Andrade, marks the entrance to the Torel Garden, where you will be greeted by a surprising Egyptian figure. Step inside and enjoy the lounge chairs and the magnificent view over Lisbon. From there, you can also see the impressive backsides of the beautiful mansions we’ve mentioned. It’s worth taking a look!
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