Vila Berta, Lisbon

Vila Berta is a short lane in Graça, framed by houses with long iron verandas and window boxes facing across the street. A chalet-like home marks one end. The little street took shape from 1909 to 1911, built by Joaquim Francisco Tojal, who had made his career as a builder and industrialist after returning from Brazil; he gave it his daughter’s name.

Although people often call it a workers’ village, its early residents were mainly tailors, milliners and members of Tojal’s family. Look along the façades: the homes form a deliberate contrast, with three-storey houses and gardens facing more modest two-storey dwellings. Residents have organised repairs, including a shared repainting scheme, and every June they revive a street celebration for Saint Anthony, inspired by a photograph discovered in 2010.