Fodor's Expert Review Rossio

The formal name for this grand public square is Praça Dom Pedro IV, but locals stick to the previous name, Rossio. Built in the 13th century as Lisbon's main public space, it remains a bustling social hub and, traffic noise aside, is still an impressive sight. Crowds socialize among Baroque fountains beneath a statue of Dom Pedro atop a towering column. Visitors can admire the dramatic wave-pattern cobblestones, famously reconstructed on the beach promenades of Rio de Janeiro. The square has seen everything from bullfights to public executions. On nearby Largo de São Domingos, where thousands were burned, there's a memorial to Jewish victims of the Portuguese Inquisition. Things are more sedate today: locals come here to relax with a newspaper, have their boots polished by the shoe shiners, or sip a ginjinha (traditional sour-cherry liqueur) at one of the bars.