A lane in Bairro Alto, a photo from Lisboa, South

Photographer's Note

Bairro Alto (literally: Upper District) is a central district of the city of Lisbon, the Portuguese capital. Unlike many of the civil parishes of Lisbon, this region can be commonly explained as a loose association of neighbourhoods, with no formal local political authority but social and historical significance to the urban community of Lisbon.

The bairro or "neighbourhood" resulted from urban expansion in the 16th century, forming outside the walls of the historical city, and is characterized by an almost orthogonal tract developing from two phases of distinct urbanization.

It is a fundamental quarter of Lisbon, organized into a hierarchical scheme of roads and lanes: the roads, the structural axis, run perpendicular to the river; and the lanes, or secondary axis, cut parallel to the river. The matrix of allotments reflects the persistent use of the medieval layout; the division and multiplication of this module had its origin in the variations of the architectural typology.

The space constructed is dominated by living spaces implanted in long narrow lots, of three to four storeys in height, with asymmetric facades consisting of windows along the various storeys and staircases along the lateral flanks. Although less representative, the Pombaline-era buildings are common, essentially introducing modifications to the level of the façade's composition. Although there are many typological variations to the facade designs, certain elements are repeated, such as the corners, bay and sill windows, eaves and attics, securing a homogeneous urbanized front.

The Bairro Alto was born as a response to the social and economic transformation in Lisbon in the second half of the 15th century. Commercial development caused the growth in the population, and an associated expansion of construction within the medieval walled city. It was this phenomenon that resulted in the urbanization process of the Bairro Alto district.

(Source: Wikipedia)

pajaran, Fis2, tyro, papagolf21, pierrefonds, jhm, ChrisJ has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Fis2 (169821) 2018-02-15 1:42

Witaj Stephen!
Curious fragment of house.
Good frame and perspective.
Interesting balconies.
Motorbike add flavor to this composition.
Good light and colors.
Warm regards.

tyro (30513) 2018-02-15 2:53

Hello Stephen,

An interesting and informative note about this district of Lisbon and a fine photograph to illustrate it.

I very much like your strong diagonal composition which shows this interesting façade to good effect. The dark green glazed doors stand out well against the cream walls as also do the wrought iron balcony railings and the suspended child's bike makes a fine focal point.

Lovely soft light, rich colours and excellent details and clarity.

Excellent!

Kind Regards,

John.

papagolf21 (152605) 2018-02-15 3:45

Bonjour, cher Stephen,
Une note très richement documentée pour mieux comprendre le contexte.
La prise de vue est parfaite pour présenter les subtilités des façades.
Bravo !
Amitiés.
Philippe

pierrefonds (113656) 2018-02-15 4:43

Hi Stephen,

I like the suite of green doors. The point of view is showing the details of the facade of the buildings. The light is giving nice tints to the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

jhm (211734) 2018-02-15 5:57

Hello Stephen,

Wonderful old balconies and nice frontage.
Nice depth and perspective.
An excellent composition, pleasant presentation too.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

Sergiom (117241) 2018-02-15 6:33

Bonjour Stephen,

J'aime beaucoup cette composition. Le quartier est intéressant, surtout au niveau des textures des pavés et de la beauté des perrons auxquels on peut accrocher toutes sortes de choses.

Amicalement

Serge

gervaso (28177) 2018-02-15 6:51

Hello, Stephen!

Beautiful capture of the architectural details of this façade, with very nice perspective! The motorbike hanging on the wall is a curious detail here! Wonderful composition! Well done!

pajaran (114995) 2018-02-15 10:48

Dobro vece.
Lep pogled, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Lepo pokazano, dobar kontrast, lepe boje. Lepa fasada i vrata, lepe terase sa gvozdenom ogradom, interesantan motorcikal na zidu.
Zelim vam lepu noc, sve najbolje.
Paja.

Good evening.
Nice view, interesting and good text ...
Beautifully shown, good contrast, beautiful colors. Nice façade and doors, nice terraces with iron fence, interesting motorcycle on the wall.
I wish you a nice night, all the best.

PiotrF (54246) 2018-02-15 14:48

Hello Stephen,
Interesting photo from this part of Lisona.
Thank you for the informative note.
I like wonderful colors and details.
Nice presentation.
Regards
Piotr

rychem (72187) 2018-02-15 15:53

I guess you were attracted not only by the old style street but also by the decoration of one of the balconies:)
A very nice photo, well composed and managed
regards Ryszard

Tue (91648) 2018-02-15 23:01

Hello Stephen,
A nice photo of this tow of façades, the green door and the balconies. You chose a good POV and an excellent vertical composition. The soft light is well handled and it rendered the colours pleasant and natural. The small bike hanging in between the two bikes is a surprising inclusion.
Lars

dkmurphys (79209) 2018-02-15 23:15

Hello,
Very familiar scene for me, I remember with great pleasure of this city. Well observed detail.

Daniel

Cricri (176) 2018-02-16 9:58

Hello Stephen
Bien choisi le format verticale, intéressante façades aux portes et fenêtres vertes, le charme ajouter par les balcons, étonnante décoration du petit vélo
Belle soirée
cricri

carlo62 (81265) 2018-02-16 16:04

Ciao Stephen
porte e balconi sono caratteristici, così come è caratteristica la pavimentazione stradale, mentre è molto originale l'insegna....
Buon we
Carlo

abmdsudi (95869) 2018-02-16 21:53

Hi Stephen
Great architecture of classic Lisbon, love the cobble stones quite a quaint place and that bright splash of colour. Very nicely captured image, Congrats
Best regards

Nicou (193806) 2018-02-17 1:49

Hello

Une très belle porte de bois vert merveilleux et cette moto une petite moto en décoration fantasitque cpatage e tiamge sueprbe.
Bravo et amitié
Nciou

ChrisJ (171302) 2018-02-17 6:02

Hello Stephen,

Either the plastic tricycle has been recently washed or the parent(s) just wanted a break from their child tearing around inside the apartment halls. The 2 perched birds animate the scene. The fg pavement in 2 tones adds perspective. TFs!