Livraria Lello e Irmão
Since our tour with Insider’s Travel did not officially begin until 2pm, the bibliophiles in our group bought online tickets to the Livraria Lello e Irmão, known as the Lello Bookstore and considered one of the most beautiful in the world.
The original bookstore was founded by Ernesto Chardron in 1869. In 1884, it was bought by the Lello brothers. In 1906, they opened the bookstore on its present site. Built in the Neogothic style, it was the first reinforced concrte building in Porto.
The opening was a great social and cultural event attended by famous literary figures, covered by newspapers as far away as Brazil.
Determined to save our feet and knees for our upcoming 120km walk on the Portuguese Camino, we took a cab instead of tackling the famously hilly streets of Porto.
Warned in advance of long lines and crowds, we chose an early entry. With tickets in hand, we were permitted to skip the lines which extended to the end of the block.
While the outside might look like a church, the inside looked like the set of a Harry Potter movie. While some say the library was the inspiration for J.K. Rowling’s Hogwarts School, she claims never to have visited the Lello in spite of once living in Porto.
Inside was as crowded as outside.
There were wall to wall people and the were floor to ceiling books, but what drew our attention was the art deco decor and attention to detail.
The curving grand staircase made of cement painted to look like wood;
A“ floating staircase” once mistakenly painted red, now beloved for its color;
An ornate plaster ceiling posing as carved wood;
A 26×11 ft. stained glass skylight featuring the Lello brothers motto “dignity in work”.
Intricately carved shelves that held books in many languages ranging from newly released titles to beloved classics classics.
One niche was dedicated to Nobel prize winners in Literature.
Another celebrated the 80th anniversary of Le Petit Prince.
Harry Potter had his own corner complete with the sorting hat and train to Hogwarts.
Our entry tickets entitled us to one free book from their classic collections. There were books to choose from in about ten different languages. Some of us could not buy just one. Nancy did not buy The Great Gatsby in Portuguese. She bought Peter Pan and three others. Carol chose Beatrix Potter and added Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Edie chose Le Petit Prince. I considered Don Quixote in Spanish but since I struggle reading it in English, opted for A Tale of Two Cities.
We joined the long queue to pay and agreed we will return.
The Lonely Planet guide to Porto says the Lello Bookstore is the third most beautiful bookstore in the world. I can’t wait to visit numbers one and two.
nancyelnorte 