Enjoy your free time!
More information soon!
Wednesday – 28th of October, 2026 – 6PM-8PM
Trips to taste “Pastéis de Belém”
At the beginning of the 19th Century, in Belém, next to Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (the Heironymite Monastery) there was a sugar cane refinery attached to a small general store. As a result of the 1820 liberal revolution, all convents and monasteries in Portugal were shut down in 1834, the clergy and labourers expelled.
In an attempt at survival, someone from the monastery offered sweet pastries for sale in the shop; pastries that rapidly became known as ‘Pastéis de Belém®’.
At that period the area of Belém was considered far from the city of Lisbon and mainly accessed by steam-boats. At the same time, the grandeur of the monastery and the Torre de Belém (the Belém Tower) attracted visitors who soon grew used to savouring the delicious pastries originated in the monastery.
In 1837, the baking of the “Pastéis de Belém®”began in the buildings attached to the refinery, following the ancient ‘secret recipe` from the monastery. Passed on and known exclusively to the master confectioners who hand-crafted the pastries in the ‘secret room’, this recipe remained unchanged to the present day.
In fact, the only true ‘Pasteis de Belém®’ contrive, by means of a scrupulous selection of ingredients, to offer even today the flavour of the time-honoured Portuguese sweetmaking.
10€ – (includes 2 pastéis de belém, 1 coffee or tea, 1 bottle of water)
Friday – 30th of October, 2026 – 7:30PM – Evening
GA Gala dinner at Adega Machado – Dinner with Fado music
How it began
Founded by Armando and Maria de Lurdes Machado in 1937. In the same room for ninety years.
Armando played the viola de fado — the acoustic guitar that lays down the chords. Maria de Lurdes, a fado singer. They opened the house in a small tavern on Rua do Norte. It first went by the name Barrete Verde. The name didn’t last long.
Adega Machado was the second fado house in Bairro Alto. It was the first to hold a performance every night.
Who sang here
Amália Rodrigues was family. Godmother to two of the five Machado children, she would come for late suppers after her sets at Café Luso. She felt at home and often sang for the pleasure of it. One night, carried by the moment, she stepped into the street leading a parade; the diners followed. The Bairro Alto police, mistaking the group for an unauthorised gathering, stopped them in their tracks.
Alfredo Marceneiro sang here for the last time; it was the last place he was ever under contract. Mariza began her career in this same room, at seven years old. Carlos do Carmo, Fernando Maurício, Beatriz da Conceição, Maria da Fé, Celeste Rodrigues — Amália’s sister, who kept singing here almost until she was ninety — and many other names the walls remember.
How fado happens here
This is not a show. It is the house that receives those who come to sing. The line-up is chosen carefully, fado singer by fado singer. The nights are long, but they have their own rhythm: fado happens between courses, and the kitchen pauses when it begins.
Those who come to listen, stay silent. That is the rule of the house — and it is the only one.
Booking for Voting members, Executive Committee, General Secretary, Governance, WG Chairs, and ISTQB Fellow(s)
Booking for Non-Voting members – 90€
Saturday – 31st of October, 2026 – All day
A full-day cultural journey across central Portugal, starting in Lisbon.
The group visits the medieval village of Óbidos for a brief walk and traditional cherry liqueur tasting, followed by a scenic stop in Nazaré, where breakfast is enjoyed by the sea before heading up to the famous lighthouse viewpoint.
The afternoon is spent in Coimbra, with lunch at a historic venue, a visit to the university, a live Coimbra-style fado performance during the descent into the old town, and free time to explore.
The day concludes with a traditional roast piglet dinner before returning to Lisbon.
PRICE – TBD
Sunday – 1st of November, 2026
More information soon
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