If you’re looking to better understand Portuguese culture through its food, cultural goods, and household products, while finding a unique and distinctively Portuguese gift for that special someone, this is the place for you.  This is perhaps the best of a series of shops trafficking in goods that harken back to older, arguably simpler times.  I call them saudade shops – in reference to the uniquely Portuguese word for a sense of longing for something lost – and there are many great ones.

I’ve never taken a person here that has walked out empty handed.  It just doesn’t happen.  I’ve picked up things for sisters, nieces, mom, friends, and girlfriends – not to mention more than a few things for myself.

You just can’t go wrong.  The collection of fancy scented soaps, lotions, and perfumes is as impressively expansive as it is unique.  The fact that the clientele is at least as Portuguese as it is foreign says much about the quality and authenticity of the stock.

A Vida Portuguesa, Rua Anchieta 11, 1200-023 Lisbon, Portugal