On the back of this postcard from Lisbon is this quote by Eça de Queirós:

Athens produced sculpture, Rome developed law, Paris invented revolution, Germany discovered mysticism. And what about Lisbon? Lisbon created fado.

Fado is the traditional Portuguese music and has UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status. It’s played on the guitar and generally linked to a sense of fatefulness and melancholy. Some famous Fado artists are Amália Rodrigues, Mariza, Mísia and Camané.

Listen to some of these Fado songs to get a feel for the genre:

• Amália Rodrigues – Estranha Forma de Vida
• Mariza – Meu Fado Meu
• Mísia – Garras dos Sentidos
• Camané – Sei de um Rio