In Praça D. Pedro IV, at gates 69, 72 and 73, stands one of the oldest houses in Lisbon and the oldest headgear in Portugal, Azevedo Rua, founded in 1886 by Aquino Azevedo Rua. Up to the present day, five generations of hatters have been added in the production of the highest quality hats of prestigious reputation and international recognition.

Manuel Aquino Azevedo Rua, founder of the homonymous store and one of the most famous portuguese hatters.

In fact, the AzevedoRua forms two stores, one with entrance through the D. Pedro IV Square and the other with the doors facing the Rossio station. Both facades give way to one of the most sumptuous decorations the downtown has to offer. The interior maintains the original features of the store, with the counters and nouveau bookshelves, in old-fashioned wood, polished and polished as in the palaces.

Hats there are hundreds of them, from the classic Panama Hat in juco de jipijapa to the exotic gala hats for Senhora. Shelves filled with colorful felt, vibrant silk belts perfectly adjusted to the crowns, folded with the centennial know-how of the only Lisbon headwear that saw the Porkpie, Homburgo and Fedora models born, always keeping the trend line, this … Over 131 years.

The history of Chapelaria Azevedo Rua began in 1886. Manuel Aquino de Azevedo Rua left the terraces of the Douro, where he was a producer of Port wine, when phylloxera ruined his vineyard. He came to Lisbon with the money counted that his uncle gave him Lent, enough to open not one but two stores in Rossio.

Thus, a “mere chance” was born at Chapelaria Azevedo Rua in Praça D. Pedro IV, formerly also known as Praça das Chapters. During decades, it was the fashion between ladies and, above all, Gentlemen, who exhibited coconuts and hats in the cafés. The business, however, would only truly reach the female population in 1988, when the founder’s grandson and great-grandson took over the business, restoring space, betting on that feminine side and entering In contact with suppliers from various countries, in an attempt to update and modernize the hat business.

At the moment, Chapelaria Azevedo Rua is already in the fifth generation and maybe that is the secret of its success, since it goes from generation to generation, always having a member of the lineage of the founder in the reins of the business.

Probably not even Manuel Aquino de Azevedo Rua would have imagined that the headgear he founded in 1886 would reach the present day, but none of this would be possible without the love and dedication that each generation that he spent there employed, as well as his faithful clients.