Every month, one of my favorite bloggers, Jennifer, from The Pink Pagoda, coordinates a Blue and White Bash linking party, where fellow bloggers post about all things blue and white, from interior design to fashion to flowers. I think I may be the lone travel blogger in the bunch and, after a while, no doubt, I may run out of beautiful places to share that are blue and white. But until I run out, I am thrilled to join the party!
Today let’s head to Portugal…a beautiful Mediterranean country famous for its colorful tile, quite often in blue and white…
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| Lisbon Trolley via |
In the 16th to the 19th century, the Portuguese began using azulejos to decorate important buildings such as churches, public buildings and the homes of the wealthy. The tiles were often used on the façade of buildings telling elaborate stories either from the Bible or of Portuguese history. They also decorate the walls inside the buildings in a way similar to Italian frescoes or mosaics. The tile was originally imported from Delft, but in the late 1600’s the King of Portugal banned all imports of azulejos, forcing Portuguese artists to begin to create their own blue and white tile designs. The results are stunning…
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| Carmo Church~Porto via |
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| Interior of Church of São Lourenço ~ Algarve via |
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| Cloister at Porto Cathedral ~ Porto via |
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| São Bento Train Station ~ Porto via |
You can see the tiled murals are so detailed…they are like paintings.
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| Portico detail, Church of São Lourenço ~ Algarve via |
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| Mural at a market ~ Santorem via |
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| A public art display ~ Lisbon via |
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| Detail from Carmo Church ~ Porto via |
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| A restaurant in Lisbon via |
You can even stay at a luxury hotel in Lisbon all decked out in blue and white azulejos…The Palacio Belmonte…
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If you are looking for a place to get your blue and white fix, you may just want to plan a trip to Portugal!
Be sure to head over to The Pink Pagoda and check out all the other posts in the Blue and White Bash!
FLOORED by the beauty here!!!! Wow…have never been to Portugal but this should be their national tourism ad, they would go there in droves!! Amazing examples of true artistry….stunning!
See you later:)
No way!!! This is absolutely breathtaking!! I had no idea Portugal was home to so many amazing blue and white treasures! I have never visited, and it is now at the top of my bucket list! SUCH an amazing post!!
XOXO,
The Glam Pad
you may be the lone travel blogger in the bunch Sandy, but you pack in a lot of punch!!!! LOVE THIS ALL! So gorgeous!
Stunning!! I love it all, but am blown away by the second image. The father pushing the stroller really shows how large scale the facade is.
Oh my goodness, Sandy. Okay, we may have to change our travel plans for the year and head to Portugal. I had no idea that blue and white was part of the culture there. This is something I need to see, for sure.
Thank you! XOXO
This is perfection!! I'm packing my bags:)
Gorgeous! My bags are packed with room to bring home some tile 😉
WOW!!! This post is just crazy cool! The Portugese sure know how to decorate! Pleasure meeting you on the linkup! xo, Laurel
Ok you are going to think I'm making this up….but I was talking about these beautiful azulejos of the Carmo Church this weekend to a friend of mine. I'm dying to visit Port just so I can go and take a photo like your first photo on this post for my bathroom!! My friend has a wedding in August in Port and this is how the conversation began. Sandy! I can't believe the coincidence! beautiful images and post!
Oh it's all so beautiful! Who wouldn't want to ride on a trolley with blue & white porcelain tiles??! It is all stunning! And I love that so much of it is public. Thanks for sharing!
You took me back to the fondest travel memories of my honeymoon in Portugal. I really loved it so much, Sintra, Nazare, Lizbon, Cais Cais, Porto –
Makes me want to create a room of blue and white.
pve
JUST DIVINE! I love blue and white, and thank you so much for reminding us about a place that may be forgotten with all the focus on more popular destinations like Greece (LOVE IT) or France. This is the hub of blue and white! Hi Sandy!
Gorgeous steeped in history too! Love it!
So so beautiful! I've never been and would so love to! Thank you for linking up, Sandy!
Love the colours in these pictures!
I will follow you, love to read more about you!
ciao! Janneke