Azulejos – Street art before street art was cool

While wandering the streets of Portugal both of us were drawn to the magnificent and incredibly intricate tiles colouring the cities. After joining a few free walking tours in Porto and Lisbon (something that we would highly recommend doing if you’re after a local take on a new city) we learnt about the history behind Portuguese tiles known as ‘Azulejos’. Dating back to Egyptian and Arabic civilizations they were introduced to Portugal in the 13^th century and were quickly adopted into Portuguese architecture. Importantly cobalt blue features heavily in Azulejos, with the mineral Cobalt serving as a symbol of the country’s wealth and opulence.

During our three and half weeks abroad, it became a common occurrence for Tess to end up trailing behind Ky in an attempt to catalogue the endless assortment of tiles lining the streets.

Below is just a brief snapshot of what this beautiful country has to offer. Even better, they can be enjoyed anywhere – from the grandest of buildings, down the narrowest of alleyways, even on the side of public toilet blocks, and without paying a cent!