Eça de Queirós arrived in Leiria at the end of July 1870, after being appointed Administrator of the Municipality, at only 25 years of age.
Upon his arrival, Eça was received formally by the authorities, but also by the curious locals, who wanted to meet the new Administrator.
It was Júlio Teles, his copyist, who advised him to stay at the boarding house located at Rua da Tipografia, No. 13, where a priest, a doctor, a dean of the Cathedral, a civil servant, and the owner of the pharmacy were also staying, entertaining themselves in the evenings playing cards and listening to Júlio Teles’ guitar playing.
At that time, Leiria was a small town, with three thousand inhabitants, gossipy, provincial, and picturesque.
However, it served as inspiration and the social observatory that Eça needed for his literary composition, which resulted in the work “The Crime of Father Amaro,” whose plot is mainly set in the city of Leiria, making reference to various locations.
Start of the route: Rodrigues Lobo Square
End of the route: Viewpoint (PSP building)
Itinerary of places: 6 stopping points