Miradouro de Santa Luzia

Walk up to the balustrade. Below you, the rooftops of Alfama tumble downhill, the district that best preserves the street plan from before 1755, and beyond them the Tagus glitters. But the most interesting thing is behind you.

1A neighbourhood that held firm

Alfama sits on solid bedrock, which is why it suffered less than the Baixa in the earthquake. Its crooked alleys, stairways and courtyards recall Islamic and medieval town planning. Ahead of you on the hillside rise the white dome of Santa Engrácia and the towers of São Vicente de Fora.

2Lisbon in tiles

Find the azulejo panels on the viewpoint's walls, beside the church of Santa Luzia, which is linked to the Order of Malta. One shows Praça do Comércio before the earthquake, with the royal palace still standing by the river: one of the few images that let you compare it with what you saw at the start of this route.

The other shows the Christian assault on the castle in 1147, with soldiers scaling the walls. It is the episode that tradition links to Martim Moniz, the knight who, according to legend, died wedged in a castle gate to stop the defenders from closing it.

The 1147 conquest is well documented; Martim Moniz's sacrifice belongs to tradition and appears only in much later texts.

3What to look out for

• The Praça do Comércio panel before 1755, with the Paço da Ribeira.
• The conquest panel, with the walls and the attackers.
• The remains of the wall beneath the viewpoint: part of the old enclosure that protected the city.