Grilo Palace in Lisbon

Diana Lima

@dianalima1671188923 · 09 Nov 2022

Grilo Palace in Lisbon

I came to know this wonderful Palace and snap a few pictures, because last August we had a birthday dinner there. This has recently been transformed into a Restaurant with a performance experience included. I didn't like (didn't understand) the live performance of screaming girls in smeared make-up and half worn wedding dresses and contortionists dancing around and then climbing into the center hole of our dining table. Especially the part where the end of the actress' hair ended up in my friend's glass. But the property itself is so beautiful. And you can visit while waiting for the food. So we did! It is still under restoration, but you can see the beauty of the outside and inside locations.
Background history:
It was the 1st Duke of Lafões who directed the construction of the Grilo Palace after the gigantic earthquake in Lisbon on the 1st November 1755.

I talked about the Earthquake in one of my earlier posts:
https://yoo.rs/the-big-earthquake-of-1755?Ysid=173897
The palace belonged to the Dukes of Lafões from 1759 until 2018.
The building structures that make up the current architectural complex of Palácio do Grilo are made up of the sum of the interventions made over the years.
The interior is synonymous with decorative programmes on erudition and cultural diversity, there are sets of wall paintings by Cyrillo Volkmar Machado and canvases from the 18th and 19th centuries that integrate thematic lounges in the palace, such as the hall of the Academy, the hall of the Venus Room or the hall of the Chinese Room. In some of these pictures, you can also admire the traditional Portuguese decorative tile in blue&white applied in pannels on the interior walls.
I think, overall, I enjoyed this for the beauty of the palace, and the wonderful opportunity to be there. If it wasn't for my friend's birthday, I would most likely never think of visiting. #photography #lisbon #history #art #eighteencentury #palace #historicalsites