PORTUGAL

LIZA MUNDY, Washington Post Staff Writer, March 10, 2003
CZIKOWSKY: Your observation that a sort of national inferiority complex has limited the Portugese sense that they need to preserve some of their national treasures. Do you think increased tourist interest would spark a drive towards preservation, or would increased tourism only further damage many of the aging buildings?
MUNDY: Good question. Implicit in my article is that inescapable writer’s (and restaurant reviewer’s) conundrum: do you really WANT more people to discover this wonderful, somewhat overlooked place that you yourself so enjoyed, in part because it IS overlooked? Do you want it preserved, marketed, overrun? Doubtless there is a moderate compromise. It seems to me that there could be a good, productive combination of preservation and tourism that would benefit everyone, most of all Portugal. For example, when we were touring the Capuchos convent, near Sintra, it was sad to see how many of the altarpieces there had been removed, presumably stolen. And in general, I was just always wishing there was more information available about some of the places we visited. Perhaps EU membership will bring the financial resources to accomplish some additional preservation.