CASA DOS BICOS
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Old property with a documentation center and an archaeological center with free access on the first floor.
It is one of the most representative examples of 16th-century civil architecture in Lisbon. The "House of Points" owes its name to its facade decorated with stones cut in the shape of diamond points, inspired by Italian Renaissance palaces. This former property of the Viceroy of India, Afonso de Albuquerque (conqueror of Goa), was built in 1523, on the model of the Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara (Italy). It was part of the trend to build closer to the river. Unfortunately, it was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1755, losing the top two floors. It was only in the 1980s that the building was restored to its original height. In 2008, the municipality handed over the top two floors to the José Saramago Foundation. This renowned writer, the only Portuguese winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, is known for his fantastic and pessimistic novels in the best tradition of Portuguese literature. On his death (in 2010), his ashes were laid to rest under a nearby olive tree. Here, you can visit an exhibition and documentation center dedicated to the Portuguese intellectual. On the first floor, an archaeological center (free admission), part of the Museu de Lisboa, features remains of Lisbon's ancient Moorish and Fernandine walls. It was during archaeological excavations in the area near the river that many of these remains were discovered, prompting the city council to create the center.
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