Portuguese pavement: the stone mosaics under Lisbon’s feet

Walk through central Lisbon looking down and you are crossing a mosaic: thousands of small stones, laid by hand, forming waves, stars and zigzags. It is called calçada portuguesa, Portuguese pavement, and in its current form it is younger than most visitors expect.

The short answer to the title: it began in Lisbon between 1840 and 1846, during repairs at São Jorge Castle, and spread from there to the squares of Portugal and its former colonies. It is beautiful and hard to maintain, and some cities have been replacing it.

The castle courtyard that started it

According to Wikipedia, the pavement in its present form was first used in Lisbon from 1840 to 1846, when São Jorge Castle was being repaired under the general and engineer Eusébio Pinheiro Furtado. The courtyards were paved with a zigzag of alternating black and white stones, a pattern considered unusual at the time.

Paving itself is much older. The article traces the craft to Mesopotamia, then to ancient Greece and Rome, and notes that the Romans’ use of a foundation plus a surface layer is still applied in the calçada.

Why Rossio has waves

In 1848 the same engineer was put in charge of renewing the Rossio square in Lisbon. He paved it with a pattern of waves, as a tribute to the sea crossed by Portuguese sailors. From then on the calçada spread through the streets of Lisbon and the rest of the country, with motifs often tied to the sea and to the age of exploration, and it became a symbol of Portuguese identity.

It crossed the ocean

The pavement left Portugal in the same century. According to Wikipedia:

• Barcelona, 1896: used to pave the sides of the Salón de San Juan, with expansions in 1909 and 1917 to 1920.
• Manaus, 1901: the first use in Brazil. Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro followed.
• Rio de Janeiro: mayor Francisco Pereira Passos promoted it in his urban renewal plan, importing craftsmen, designs and even stones from Portugal. The wavy pattern of Avenida Atlântica, in Copacabana, comes from this period.
• 1970s: the landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx kept the pavement when he redesigned Copacabana.

It also appears in Macau, Gibraltar, Malacca and Lagos in Nigeria, and in Olivença, a territory administered by Spain.

How it is made

Craftsmen lay a bed of gravel on a well-compacted trench of clay material, which holds the small stones and works like cement. The work is done by hand, stone by stone, which explains why repairs are slow and costly.

The problem: it is slippery

The same article lists the complaints. The pavement becomes slippery, especially when worn or wet, and puddles form in the worn, concave patches. Weeds and moss grow in the cracks, and loose stones make constant repairs necessary so people do not trip. It is hard going for older people, wheelchair users, pregnant women and strollers, and it is rough on some kinds of footwear.

Some cities responded. Porto replaced the traditional paving of its city centre with granite blocks in 2005, and since 2007 São Paulo has replaced most of the calçada on Avenida Paulista with a cheaper, more regular concrete.

In practice

• Wear shoes with grip. Smooth soles on wet stone are the usual problem.
• Look down in the squares. The patterns are the point, especially in the historic centre.
• Take extra care with a stroller or wheelchair and plan routes with smoother streets.
• Leave time for slopes. Wet calçada on a hill is where most people slip.

The same country has other places where the terrain shapes everyday life, such as the village built between boulders in Monsanto.

Frequently asked questions

What is calçada portuguesa?

A traditional pavement of small stones laid by hand in patterns, used mainly on pedestrian areas in Portugal and its former colonies.

Where did it start?

According to Wikipedia, in Lisbon between 1840 and 1846, in the courtyards of São Jorge Castle.

Why is Rossio paved in waves?

The 1848 pattern was meant as a tribute to the sea crossed by Portuguese sailors.

Is it dangerous to walk on?

It can be slippery, especially when wet or worn, so shoes with grip help.

Sources

• Portuguese pavement, Wikipedia: the origin at São Jorge Castle in 1840 to 1846, the Rossio waves in 1848, the spread to Barcelona, Manaus and Rio, the accessibility problems and the replacements in Porto and São Paulo. Confirm dates and names with the Lisbon city hall before any formal use.