Pousada de Alfama

I climbed up to the Pousada de Alfama with my camera on my shoulder and the certainty that here, in the most authentic part of Lisbon, the photography would have to breathe the neighbourhood itself. I wanted every image to carry the soul of this place that stretches from the slopes of São Jorge Castle down to the Tagus: so I photographed the yellow tram passing in front of the façade, the cobbled streets and the murals that give Alfama its colour, letting the city enter the hotel’s narrative.

Indoors, I devoted myself to the dialogue between classic and contemporary that defines this Pousada: the crystal chandelier and gilded mirror of the lounge, the Portuguese-inspired rugs, the welcoming bar where the light lingers. I worked slowly to capture the texture of the rehabilitated building and the serenity of its spaces, always seeking the frame that makes a room feel like an invitation.

But it was at the table that this story came alive. I photographed breakfast served by the windows, the sunlit terraces, the carefully composed dishes and the toasts shared among guests. I wanted to convey the simple pleasure of a morning in Alfama, with the aroma of coffee and the distant sound of the neighbourhood. That is how I photographed the Pousada de Alfama: as a Lisbon experience, told image by image.