After the 1755 earthquake, Restauradores and the bottom part of present avenue were laid out as the Passeio Publico (Public Promenade) , which was the meeting place of the bourgeoisie society of the time. But this disappeared in 1879 when the avenue was opened as a traffic artery. The avenue is 100 metres wide, making it one of the widest in Europe.
One of the first things that strikes the visitor is the beautiful black and white pavements of the avenue stand out.
A short way up the avenue, on our right, we can see the bust of Simon Bolivar, who led the revolt that led to the expulsion of the Spanish from South America and the independence of most of the present countries of that continent. It was a gift from the Portuguese community of Venezuela, the country where Bolivar was born.
Farther up we come to two small lakes, one on each side of the road. They represent the rivers Douro and tagus. Then we come, on our left, to the memorial to the dead of the first world war, known as the Cenotaph in english. This stands in front of the Parque Mayer, which was once the centre of entertainment and theatre in Lisbon. It is not so active as in the past , but it still has some good restaurants and a theatre.
On the last crossroads of the avenue are busts of four famous 19th - century writers - Alexander Herculano, novelist and historian, Oliveira Martins, historian, and the novelists Almeida Garret and Feliciano Castilho.
The buildings on the avenue are from the 18th to the 20th century and the architects of some of them have received the valbom Prize, which is awarded every year for the best building constructed in Lisbon.
