Language available: Portuguese and Italian
This private guided visit takes us to the splendid Church of Our Lady of Loreto, in the heart of Chiado, right in central Lisbon, where the art and history of the Italian community and the city of Lisbon intersect.
Upon entering, our gaze is drawn to the impressive ceiling painting by Pedro Alexandrino de Carvalho, which has adorned this church since 1780. The church is also known as the Church of the Italians.
It is here that we can trace the presence of Italians in the Portuguese capital since the early sixteenth century. The church became a focal point for the Italian community in Lisbon, bringing together Italians from the various city-states of the Italian Peninsula long before the foundation of Italy as a nation.
On this private tour, led by Italian historian Nunziatella Alessandrini, you will not only learn about the history of this church — so closely linked to the Italian community — but also gain access to its reserved spaces, such as the magnificent sacristy and its archive, where many historical treasures are preserved.
TOUR INFORMATION
🙋♀️ Guide: Historian Nunziatella Alessandrini
📍 Meeting Point: Igreja da Nossa Senhora do Loreto, Largo do Chiado 16, Lisboa
🕒 Duration: Approximately 1.5 hours
👅Language available: Portuguese and Italian
🎟️ Price: On request (depending on group size)
📧 Contact us: [email protected]
Our Private Tours are arranged on request, according to your preferences and the guide’s availability.
Meet your guide, Nunziatella Alessandrini
A researcher at CHAM (Centre for Humanities) of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at Nova University Lisbon. Her research focuses on the study of relations between Italy and Portugal in the Modern Age.
Nunziatella has organised 14 cycles of Luso-Italian conferences and authored over 50 articles and 9 co-authored volumes on Luso-Italian relations.
She served as the coordinator for the historical archive rehabilitation project of the Church of Loreto, funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (2014-2015), and as the coordinator for the research project funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation on Marcas de água do acervo documental da Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Loreto, em Lisboa: séculos XVI e XVII.
Nunziatella is Member Associate in the Maritime History Class of the Lisbon Naval Academy and the director of the Historical Archive of the Church of Our Lady of Loreto in Lisbon.
In recognition of her work in the field of relations between Italy and Portugal, she was awarded the title of Ufficiale della Stella D’Italia by the President of the Italian Republic in 2022.
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