The Real Gabinete Português de Leitura was established in 1837 upon the initiative of a group of 43 Portuguese emigrants. The elegant façade of this wonderful neo-Gothic building is certainly striking, as is its high-ceilinged room lined with rows of antique books. In an ambience reminiscent of a church, with the light filtering through the delicately coloured stained-glass windows, the studious scholars attempt to work in the midst of the tourists.