Ericeira
An attractive fishing town with superb restaurants
Ericeira
This small fishing village lies to the west of Mafra, about 32km from Lisbon. Its fine seafood restaurants have made the town very popular as a place to enjoy an evening out with friends. Ericeira is also well known amongst the surfing community, who travel from around the world to take advantage of the powerful Atlantic waves that can be found here.
Walking down through the old village with its pictaresque painted houses and cobbled streets the visitor passes a variety of restaurants, all offering exceptional seafood menus. The seafront offers wonderful sunsets and interesting places of worship, such as the St Sebastian chapel.
In 1910 Ericeira became the point of departure for the royal family when they were forced to leave Portuguese shores and take sanctuary in the UK. The Portuguese republican movement had developed a powerful base of support in Lisbon where half the countries teachers, doctors and accountants resided. Thirty per cent of Portugal´s industrial employees worked in or near the city and dozens of newspapers were appearing to cater for the political culture taking root in the capital. Junior army and navy officers, factory workers, journalists and civil servants were joining together to be initiated into the "Carbonari" secret society that had spread from Italy to Portugal.
The "Carbonari" were dedicated to the overthrow of the monarchy and the rolling back of the powers of the church. The signal for the revolution to roll came from the naval ship Admastor on 4th October 1910. The monarchy were caught completely unawares by the speed of events. King Manuel II was playing bridge with the visiting president of Brazil, when he was advised to travel to Mafra where the royal family spent their final night, before sailing into British protection from the shores of Praia dos Pescadores in Ericeira.
In the heart of the village sits the Casa da Cultura of Ericeira. This contains a library, auditorium and art gallery named after Jaime Lobo e Silva, a local band conductor and historian who died in 1943. There are regular performances of classical music by world class musicians that at a mere 3 euros entrance fee should not be missed.
Useful Links
Ericeira Tourism Board
This is the official website of the Ericeira tourist board on which you can find more information
about the history of Ericeira, as well as maps and other useful information for
tourists. The site has translations for English speaking visitors.
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View of Lisbon - José Manuel
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