In Lisbon’s metro, you can find art under your feet The construction of the Metropolitana de Lisboa started in August 1955. The initial line consisted of 6,5 kilometers and comprised 11 stations and two-carriage trains. Nowadays there are four Lines (Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red) with a total of 56 stations. It certainly isn’t a […]
Cancer is the main cause of premature death in Portugal Malignant tumors are the second cause of death in the country – after cardiovascular diseases (including strokes and heart attacks) – killing every year nearly 30,000 people.This number corresponds to one-third of the country’s annual births, at a time when the Portuguese population is shrinking. […]
‘Economy should serve people, not the opposite’ According to Eurostat minimum wages in the EU member states range from 399 euros per month in Bulgaria to 2,387 euros per month in Luxembourg. As of this year, the minimum wage in Portugal is 760 euros per month. In the case of salaries, the country also remains […]
The largest gathering of young Catholics worldwide According to the Census of 2021, 80% of Portuguese older than 15 years adhere to the Roman Catholic faith.World Youth Day (WYD) is a major, religious encounter between young Catholics from all over the world and the Pope taking place for the first time this year in Portugal. […]
Lisbon is more expensive than Barcelona, Madrid, or Milan Portugal’s property market is booming but the damage inflicted on the social fabric of the big cities is profound. Unaffordable rents and purchase prices are hitting not just those on subsistence prices and pensions, but ordinary workers and their families. The actual situation can be traced […]
Has the golden visa program fulfilled its role? The Golden Visa program in Portugal is very lucrative and at the same time much-criticized residency by-investment program for people from non-EU countries. To obtain such a ‘golden’ permit one has to invest at least half a million euros in property, in exchange for permanent residency and […]
‘Basically same place, same art, different name’ Lisbon’s Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB) – the city’s main cultural centre – is to open a new museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the MAC-CCB, in the space previously occupied by the Berardo Collection Museum. Besides a different name, visitors won’t be noticing any change. ‘It will […]
‘Consoada is free of meat, as required before Misa do Galo’ The Portuguese needed fish for religious reasons as meat consumption was forbidden during Lent and on the many fasting days in their Catholic calendar. These rules on fasting led to the tradition of eating bacalhau (cod) on Christmas Eve. The consoada is a humble […]
‘Migration is a right, not a privilege’ – António Guterres, UN Secretary-General The socialist-led government of Antonio Costawants attracts more immigrants to compensate for a declining population due to an extremely low birth rate. It moreover stimulates highly-qualified Portuguese – who have emigrated – to return to the homeland with bonuses up to 7500 euros. […]
‘Portugal’s best-kept secret’ Despite the fact that Portugal is European champion in bicycle production, as to physical exercise the country is at the very bottom of the league table. The Portuguese exercise the least in Europe. Almost three quarter (73%) say they never exercise or do any kind of sport – against 45% of the […]