Fado is the song of those without luck, cursed by fate, and lost in a fog of the past. It is the song separation, of homesickness and longing. In Portugal, the Fado is sung not only in Lisbon but also from the Alentejo to Coimbra to Porto. And, wherever one finds a community of Portuguese, they will find the Fado, too. That is why the Fado can be a song of places – and in that spirit we have picked our five most haunting Fado’s of places and nostalgia. We call it Fado to Travel By…. These are Fados of longing for a place – full of the sadness of one who misses home. Read more →

So where can we find the traces of Moorish Portugal? Well, the first place is the language – many Arabic words remain in Portuguese. Words as simple as Bairro (neighborhood), cabide (hanger), sofá (sofa), marfim (ivory) and almofada (pillow). Oxalá - comes from insha’Allah, and means “God willing.” Read more →

One of the most popular songs to ever come out of Portugal got renamed, and it is a bit insulting. It started as a 1937 musical review tune by Raul Portela and  José Galhardo - the team behind "Coimbra" and "Lisboa não sejas francesa." The song as a fado/march. But when Amália Rodrigues recorded it in the 1950's the unique melody caught on.  Read more →

Back in 1952, as Portugal marked 145 years since the French Invasions of the Napoleonic Wars, Raul Ferrão and José Galhardo penned a fado entitled "Lisboa não sejas francesa," or "Lisbon, do not be French," for a musical review. At the time, numerous shops and boutiques in Lisbon had French... Read more →

Portuguese guitarist Marta Pereira da Costa is about to launch a 4-city US tour, her first, playing seven performances this March -- including New York’s Lincoln Center (New York), DC’s Kennedy Center of Performing Arts (Washington, DC) and Austin’s SXSW/South by Southwest Festival, one of the three largest annual music festivals in the United States. Read more →

A new hotel in Lisbon, O Artista, celebrates a former owner, the great Vasco Santana. A household name - Vasco Santana was a legend of the stage and screen. Born in Benfica in Lisbon in 1898, Vasco Santana remains a beloved star more than a half century after his death. He was a brilliant actor and comedian. His presence in films launched the romantic comedy in Portugal, and the Golden Age of Portuguese film. Read more →

An amazing Carnival celebration is to be found on sunny Madeira Island, where celebrations go back centuries. Azores Airlines is offering round-trip package starting at $1,999 per person (incl. tax) double occupancy. The deal includes round trip air from Boston, seven nights hotel, breakfast, 4 tours, 3 lunches and a dinner. Wow. Read more →

One of Portugal's most colorful festivals is back in 2019, with centuries of pageantry and tradition! The “Festa dos Tabuleiros” has been scheduled to run from June 29th to July 8th, 2019 in the historic city of Tomar.  “Festa dos Tabuleiros,” or Festival of Trays, happens every four years or so and is unique in the world Read more →

Cante Alentejano is a typical style of music in Alentejo exclusively involving voices. Mostly men get together to sing along lyrics about the life in region, traditions, family or love. Well coordinated, the singers can reach out to every listener emotions with their powerful voices. Read more →

Campaign Challenges Music Groups to Submit their Own Version of Portugal. The Man’s “Live in the Moment” to Win a Trip to Portugal. The Destination Read more →