Luxurious Old-World Bookstore in Portugal
Category

Sightseeing

Age requirement

All ages

Message from Iesha Vincent

Livraria Lello, known as the Lello Bookstore in English, is an impressive destination in Porto, Portugal. It is one of the oldest bookstores in the country, and has been rated among the top bookstores in the world. Built by architect Francisco Xavier Esteves in 1906, Livraria Lello encompasses a neo-Manueline building with a lavish interior brimming with painted plaster, detailed wood balusters, and a large stained glass window. The exterior also features Neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau elements, while the interior suggests implied Art Deco elements. Visitors to the bookstore will be transported to a different era - not only is the space itself stunning, but it boasts rails and wooden carts often used in the past for transporting books around the store, as well as a mural created in 2016 by graffiti writer Dheo and colleague Pariz One.

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