Portuguese pavement (calçada portuguesa), is a
traditional style pavement used for many pedestrian areas in Portugal,
while it can also be found in Olivença (a disputed territory
administered by Spain) and throughout old Portuguese colonies such as
Brazil and Macau. Portuguese workers are also hired for this skill to
create these pavements in places such as Gibraltar. Being usually used
in sidewalks, it is in plazas and atriums this art finds its deepest
expression.Paving as a craft is believed to have originated in Mesopotamia, where rocky materials were used in the inside and outside of constructions, being later brought to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
The Romans used to pave the vias connecting the empire using materials to be found in the surroundings. Some of the techniques introduced then are still applied on the calçada, most noticeably the use of a foundation and a surfacing.
Is a distinctive form of Art with a unique Portuguese printing on it as well a particular style of pavement that desired to many sidewalks around the world!
