Tabacaria Mónaco, Smoke shop and cultural heritage site in Santa Maria Maior, Portugal.
Tabacaria Mónaco is a tobacco shop and cultural heritage site in Santa Maria Maior that extends through a narrow corridor connecting Rossio Square to Rua 1º de Dezembro. The establishment displays tobacco products and printed materials within historically decorated spaces adorned with artistic embellishments.
The shop was established in 1875 and received its name following a visit by Prince Albert I of Monaco in the late 1800s. This notable visit gave the tobacco merchant its distinctive identity that it retains to this day.
The interior displays Brazilian wooden cabinets adorned with decorative tiles and porcelain swallows crafted by artist Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro in 1894. These handcrafted details reflect the refined taste of Lisbon's more affluent residents during that era.
The shop sits on Dom Pedro IV Square in a compact space that requires patience to navigate. Visitors should expect limited staff and plan visits during morning or afternoon hours when foot traffic is lighter.
The shop houses one of Lisbon's first public telephones, still visible within the space. Additionally, ceiling frescoes by António Ramalho depict a cloudy sky filled with swallow figures that give the room a dreamlike quality.
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