They’re not officially on UNESCO’s list, but these sites of
extraordinary cultural significance could very well end up there
one day, joining the 14 others in Portugal (like Sintra and
Lisbon’s Jeronimos Monastery and Belem Tower). It’s one of the
world’s biggest palaces and it has some singular features such
as a total of six organs that are unique in the world and the
world’s largest collection of church bells in addition to one of
Europe’s finest libraries. One of Nobel Prize author José
Saramago’s most translated novels is about the building’s
unbelievable construction (published in English as “Baltasar and
Blimunda”). The only reason Lisbon’s downtown isn’t yet a World
Heritage Site is because many of its buildings have reached an
advanced state of decay and have been stripped of many of their
original features. Before it can present its candidacy to UNESCO
it will have to restore everything back to its original state,
but even without the official recognition Lisbon’s downtown is
already a remarkable pl