Palacete dos Viscondes de Balsemão is a manor house built in the second half of the 18th century, and underwent profound changes in the two subsequent centuries. Commissioned by José Alvo Brandão Coutinho Perestrelo Pereira da Azevedo, it came into the possession of the Balsemão family, by marriage of D. Maria Rosa with Luís Máximo Alfredo Pinto de Sousa Coutinho. Around 1840, it was leased to António Bernardino Peixe, who set up a renowned inn, where King Charles Albert of Sardinia stayed in 1849, during his exile in Porto. In 1854, the 1st Viscount of Trindade bought the palace and refurbished it. After the death of his widow in 1895, the building came into the possession of their daughter, D. Josefina Henriqueta Sousa Basto. From 1907 until the First World War (1914-1918), it housed the Gas Company of Porto, and later, in 1988, the Municipal Gas and Electricity Services and EDP. Since 1996, it houses the Municipal Directorate for Culture and Tourism, of the City Council of Porto, and the Numismatic Office which has one of the most complete and important collections in the country (since the origins of the coin, with Roman, Visigoths, Arabs pieces and Portuguese coins of monarchy and republic). The building still boasts its ceilings decorated with stucco work, paintings and coffered ceilings, sliding doors with tinted glazing, and commemorative medals of distinguished guests.
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How to get to Palacete Viscondes Balsemão? 
By Bus: Nearest to Palacete Viscondes de Balsemão, there is a bus stop called ‘Carmo’. This bus stop is served by the following bus lines: 200, 201, 207, 208, 300, 302, 305,501, 507, 601. If you do not have a metro or bus ticket (‘Andante’ or ‘Passe’), you can purchase one on board. For more information: http://www.stcp.pt | http://www.itinerarium.net
