Amália Rodrigues House Museum

Amália Rodrigues, born in Lisbon in 1920 and dead in 1999, was the singer who took fado from the taverns of Alfama and Mouraria to concert halls worldwide and effectively defined the form for a century - she recorded hundreds of songs, worked with the poets Alexandre O'Neill and David Mourão-Ferreira, and when she died the government declared three days of national mourning. She lived in this house on Rua de São Bento from 1955 until her death, and it is kept as it was: the yellow drawing room, her bedroom, the kitchen where she cooked, her shawls and dresses, gold and platinum discs, letters, and the room where she rehearsed. Visits are guided and small, running roughly every half hour, and the guides knew or worked with her in several cases. She is buried in the National Pantheon, one of very few women there.

What you actually see

• The rooms as left - the house kept as it was when she died in 1999.
• The shawls and dresses - the black stage costume that became the fado image.
• The records and letters - a career's worth of discs and correspondence.
• The guided visit - small groups, sometimes led by people who knew her.

When to go

Year-round. One hour. Guided visits only, roughly half-hourly, in Portuguese and English. Closed Mondays; groups are small so it can sell out.

Honest expectations

Guided access only in small groups, and photography inside is prohibited. The house is small - an hour covers it. Booking is worth doing in season. It means much more if you know her recordings first.

Nearby

The Fado Museum is in Alfama; the National Pantheon holds her tomb.