«The Câmara de Loulé and the city's merchants are marking, in an original way, the 500th anniversary of the book “Utopia” (1516-2016), by Thomas More.
To pay "homage to this unavoidable work of world literature that has marked Humanity's ideas for a better world", the municipality will remember its Loulé "utopians" who dreamed and built the city, like the Utopian islanders, the utopians , and the main character of the story, Rafael Hitlodeu, a Portuguese traveler, merchant and sage who knew and related the island of Utopia.
Thus, as a tribute to “Utopia”, to our “utopians” and to the friendship that united Thomas More and Rafael Hitlodeu, the merchants of Praça da República creatively present their shop windows, inspired by this work, in a challenge launched by the City Council de Loulé: “The path of the dream – Utopia and our utopians in Praça da República”, an initiative that takes place during the month of July.
Utopia” was launched in 1516. The name of the work, originating in Greek: where “u” is an adverb of negation and “tópos” means place, therefore, it refers to a “non-place”, that is, a place nonexistent. This was the ironic way in which the thinker named his perfect society.
From this work onwards, the word “utopia” became synonymous with an ideal society, although of impossible existence, or a generous idea, but impractical, giving a broader use of the then neologism “utopia”.
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