I'm not much for touring the homes of dead rich people (or live rich people, for that matter). Still, Fernando Bissaya Barreto's foundation runs a number of social service organizations in the Coimbra area, which made me curious about him. Also, it was raining and I wanted to do something that didn't involve looking at my laptop.
The museum is small and is accessed by a guided tour. As soon as I walked in the docent found a guide for me, who spoke excellent English. It was just he and I the whole time, which meant I controlled the pace of the tour and he was happy to answer my questions. I was then free to wander around the small, lovely garden.
It was more interesting than I expected to tour the house, since it helped me understand the history I've been reading about. It's one thing to read that someone had a weird religious thing and wanted to control how people lived their lives, it's another to see their bedroom designed to match the bishop's, their whole house decorated with things taken from monestaries, and their art collection glorifying subsistence farming and selfless motherhood. It was also interesting to be able to see the books in his library and office.
The entrance fee is 3 euro. They close for lunch, so check the opening times before you go. read more