Casa dos Bicos / José Saramago Foundation — Attraction in Lisbon

I recently visited the Fundação José Saramago in Lisbon, and I must say that my experience was utterly disappointing due to the unhelpful and rude behavior of the front staff. It felt as though they went out of their way to be uncooperative, and their sarcastic and ironic responses only added to the unpleasant encounter. One of the main purposes of having front staff is to provide assistance and information to visitors, but unfortunately, the staff at the Fundação José Saramago seemed completely disinterested in fulfilling this role. When we approached them with questions about the ticket prices or how the visitation worked, they responded with indifference and dismissive attitudes, refusing to provide any substantial answers. It was as if our inquiries were an inconvenience to them. Their lack of professionalism not only hindered our ability to fully enjoy our visit but also reflected poorly on the legacy of José Saramago himself. Saramago, a Nobel laureate and renowned author, dedicated his life to the pursuit of knowledge and literature. His works often delved into profound themes of humanity and empathy. It is disheartening to see that the front staff at his foundation failed to embody these values. The poor treatment we received from the front staff created an unwelcoming atmosphere that detracted from the overall visitor experience. It left us feeling unworthy and disrespected, as if our presence was an inconvenience to them. As a result, we were unable to fully engage with the exhibits and appreciate the depth of Saramago's literary contributions. Moreover, the behavior exhibited by the front staff raised concerns of xenophobia or a general disinterest in their job. It is crucial for any institution, particularly one dedicated to preserving the legacy of a literary icon like José Saramago, to promote inclusivity and a welcoming environment for all visitors. By failing to do so, the Fundação José Saramago tarnishes its own reputation and undermines the very essence of Saramago's beliefs. In conclusion, the unhelpful, rude, ironic, and sarcastic front staff at the Fundação José Saramago in Lisbon severely damages the visitor's experience and undermines the legacy of José Saramago himself. It is disheartening to witness such behavior in an institution that should embody the values of empathy and knowledge championed by Saramago. I hope that the management takes prompt action to rectify this issue and ensure that future visitors can fully appreciate the literary brilliance of José Saramago without the hindrance of unprofessional and...

The Casa dos Bicos is a former renaissance palace built by the son of the second viceroy of India, Brás de Albuquerque. The building is constructed over a stretch of a former city wall (cerca moura/cerca velha), and further down, a roman city wall and fish preserve facilities were found. All these archeological findings are exhibited in the ground floor, under management of the Museu da Cidade and free to visit. The upper floors house the Saramago Foundation, which promote Saramago's work (Nobel Prize of Literature), literature and human rights. Besides office space, an exhibition on the author's life is available for 3€. Alternatively, one can visit the bookstore on the 3rd floor for free.

The renaissance building features an unusual diamond point covered façade, probably of italian influence. At this time this was the most visible, river facing façade, but not the main entrance to the building, which was done through a courtyard from the northern side. The building was highly damaged during Lisbon's earthquake of 1775, on which the top 2 floors were lost. In the 90s, the building was renewed in a post-modern fashion. The archeological and historic memory found on the site was made apparent and juxtaposed to a new, contemporary layer of a complex spatial structure that turns and unfolds around these findings, celebrating depth, complexity, and juxtaposition. The upper two floors were rebuilt, reinterpreted from paintings and drawings from before the earthquake. Here and there the archeological remnants from previous eras may be found hidden in the foldings of time and of the building. The daring and unconventional refurbishment raised much controversy at the time, but Lisboners have made peace with it since.

There is a threefold reason to visit this building: it tells of the urban history of the city, it showcases Saramago's work and life (besides other activities by the foundation) and it is a unique Lisbon post-modern space.

Regular guided visits are organized by the Museu da Cidade to the...

I'm giving this one more star than I want to in recognition of my ignorance of Jose Saramogo and his lifes work. That said. The facade of the building is different and interesting and is worth walking by if you are in the neighborhood. Also if you enjoy Roman ruins and the history of making fish mash, head on in and walk through the first floor of the building. It's free and very well done with the glass floor, informational displays and a few nicely displayed pottery shards. However it is extremely limited to essentially two Roman stone tanks where fish remains where put into, left to ferment and then made into a sauce that was then marketed around Europe. Very nice, very limited. All good so far. But then you are invited to pay 3 euros to "experience" the upper floors. Why not? Up the stairs you go, but the first thing that hit me was that I was no longer in the same building that I saw from the outside. Instead I was in a modern and architecturally awkward building. Like walking upstairs at a boutique hotel. Once at the public floor space I thought I walked into a gift shop. Nicely displayed were hundreds of Jose Saramago books. My wife has read his books, but was no more interested than I in looking at more of them. We quickly perused the floor and found nothing else of interest. Back to the hotel stairs up another floor to find essentially the same again. This floor though had a small space with chairs set up which I assume are used for book lectures. Again we walked the floor for any sort of interesting or useful information. Found none. We left feeling like we had both paid 3 euros for the opportunity to enter a book store selling one authors works. Okay I get it. Someone somewhere is studying Jose Saramago at a university level. If that is you then your 3 euros may or may not be well spent. If it isn't I would strongly recommend taking a picture outside and...