If anything, however, the Palacete de Raio, or the ‘House of the Mexican’ as it is more usually known in the city, is an even finer example of the elegance of early eighteenth-century Portuguese baroque. It is to be found behind the post office on the Rua de Raio. The graceful curves of the façade are accentuated by the facing of tiles and above them sit an imposing balustrade, similar to one in town of Velas on Sao Jorge island. The quality of the buildings of this time have in fact given rise to a creation of a subsection of the baroque, ‘the Joanine’, named after the king who reigned during their creation, Joao V.
Another elegant mansion, the Casa Dos Biscainhos, west of the town hall on the Rua dos Biscainhos, now houses a small ethnographic and architctural museum. This seventeenth-century nobleman’s house itself is delightful, with its balustraded stairway and passageway through the façade, very similar to the famous Palace of Mateus at Vila Real, which was used to allow horses to pass directly through to the stables.
Another fine place to visit in the central shopping area of the town and, quite unexpected there, is the workshop of the saddle makers, Clemente’s of Braga, in the Rua dos Chaos. From the shop front this appears to be merely another general leather store; a request, however, mimed if necessary, to see the saddles being made should lead you through the back of the shop into the workshop. Saddles have been produced here for over eighty years and they are still hand made in the traditional manner, in particular for the royal horses of Alter de Chao in the Alto Alentejo. The mini-tour goes through all the stages of the saddle’s manufacture, taking the visitor through tiny corridors and stairways until all sense of direction is lost, and one re-emerges back in the shop. The tour is usually completed by the proud displaying of photographs of the many famous people who have requested saddles from ‘Clementes’. There is, however, never any pressure to buy.
