Rua Cor-de-Rosa

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Rua Cor-de-Rosa (Pink Street)
Rua Nova do Carvalho
Cais do Sodre
Lisbon, April 2019

“The street officially is called Rua Nova do Carvalho and lies in the now popular neighborhood Cais do Sodre. This used to be Lisbon’s Red Light District. Lisbon was an important port city, meaning lots of sailors would come into the city to gamble, drink, and to ‘get some’. Rua Nova do Carvalho was the place to be, as there were gambling dens, brothels, and seedy bars named after other port cities. Sailors weren’t the only visitors, it was a meeting point for local criminals, streetwalkers, and prostitutes too. Yeah, we bet you didn’t know this quirky street had such shady beginnings! There are still hints to its history though, as many bars still carry port city names, there is still a lingerie store called Purple Rose and the bar Pensao Amor still has an erotic book shop and a sex shop in the back. So how did the red light district turn pink?! Rua Nova do Carvalho was painted not that long ago actually! The painting started in 2011 and was finished by 2013. Since then, it has become locally known as Rua Cor de Rosa, meaning Pink Street. The project was supposed to make the neighborhood better – gentrification at it’s finest. And it has worked. Brothels closed, new bars opened and the street has replaced the shady nightlife and turned it into something hip.” (Rua Nova do Carvalho History, Once Upon a Journey)