Portugal’s most beautiful bookstore is more than just a tourist attraction. Behind the famous red staircase and stained-glass ceilings of Livraria Lello is Aurora Pedro Pinto.
Few bookstores in the world are as famous, or as photographed, as Livraria Lello in Porto. With its sweeping red staircase, stained-glass ceiling, and century-old wooden shelves, the shop has become one of Portugal’s most visited cultural landmarks. But behind the crowds and Instagram posts is Aurora Pedro Pinto, the woman determined to keep Livraria Lello more than just a tourist attraction.
Since taking over the historic bookstore with her family, Pinto has transformed it into a modern literary powerhouse, balancing heritage, business, and a mission to get people reading again.
Livraria Lello and Aurora Pedro Pinto
Step inside Livraria Lello and the first thing you notice is not the books. It’s the gasp. Visitors stop in the doorway, tilt their heads upward, and stare at the stained-glass ceiling, the carved wooden shelves, and the famous crimson staircase that seems to curl through the middle of the building like something from a fantasy novel.
It has been named the Most Beautiful Bookshop in the World in the 2023 1000 Libraries Awards, drawing tourists to Porto in their thousands. But behind the spectacle is a woman trying to make sure the shop remains what it was always meant to be: a real bookstore.
That woman is Aurora Pedro Pinto, the businesswoman and former law professor who now oversees one of Portugal’s oldest and most recognizable literary institutions. Pinto taught law at Portucalense University for 26 years before stepping into the worlds of tourism, culture, and publishing with her husband, Pedro Pinto. The couple acquired a majority stake in Livraria Lello in 2015 and eventually took full control in 2023.
It is quite a leap: from lecturing in classrooms to managing a bookstore that now attracts millions of visitors a year. But maybe that’s what makes Pinto’s approach work. Her focus is less on nostalgia and more on reinvention.
Fighting to Remain A Store
The biggest challenge facing Livraria Lello is also the reason for its fame. People come because the building is stunning. They queue outside for photos. They post videos online. Some wander through without touching a single book. Pinto knows this better than anyone. In interviews, she’s summed up the problem neatly: visitors were coming in, taking pictures, and then completely forgetting it was a bookshop.
Her solution was controversial at first, but there’s no denying that it was incredibly clever. Livraria Lello introduced an entrance voucher system, where they charged visitors a fee to enter. This fee could later be deducted from a book purchase.
That way, instead of operating like a tourist attraction, the store was gently reminding people what it was actually there for. When discussing this idea, Pinto said, “We’re not a museum.” She went on to explain that the store’s aim “has always been to form readers.”
That goal is clearer under Pinto’s rule than ever before. It underpins pretty much everything Livraria Lello does now.
Not Just Any Bookstore
Since Pinto took control of the bookstore, it’s evolved into something more than just a store or a museum. It’s a cultural point for the community. They host literary talks, singings, readings, and collaborations with global companies and institutions. The shop has worked with the likes of Pantone and Zara, and is also producing its own collectible editions and publishing projects.
In many ways, Livraria Lello has been reborn as a hybrid business. Part bookstore, part publisher, part cultural venue, and part tourist attraction. All under Pinto’s leadership.
Now, since swapping hands, the store sells between 3,000 and 5,000 books a day. They’ve got a team of expert booksellers who restock, sell, and manage the books, and an even larger team of logistics experts and background staff to keep everything afloat.
To help manage the bookstore’s new lease of life, Pinto has implemented digital systems, international marketing, and IT specialists to keep everything working smoothly. It’s safe to say that Livraria Lello has well and truly stepped foot into the modern age.
Livraria Lello’s Growth
Livraria Lello’s roots stretch back to the nineteenth century. The original business began in 1869 under the name Livraria Chardron before evolving into the Lello bookstore known today. The current neo-Gothic building in Porto officially opened in 1906 and has since become one of the city’s defining landmarks.
The architecture alone explains part of the fascination. There are elaborate wooden carvings, towering shelves, and an extraordinary stained-glass skylight bearing the Latin phrase Decus in Labore, meaning “dignity in work.”
It lived a long time as a traditional bookstore. But times change, and too many historic bookstores have been lost to Amazon and e-books. Livraria Lello survived on ingenuity, and that’s what Pinto has kept alive.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Livraria Lello faced the same crisis as countless cultural institutions: closed doors and no visitors. But it refused to die. The shop created a drive-through system for readers and gave away classic books while physical borrowing was restricted, earning it a finalist place in Bookstore of The Year in 2021’s London Book Fair International Excellence Awards.
A Family Business
It might be internationally famous, but Livraria Lello is still at its heart a deeply personal business. Pinto’s children are described as part of the future of the business in interviews, and longtime employees have been kept on, remaining central to the business and its identity.
It’s also clear as day that Pinto and her husband see their bookstore as a guardian of Porto’s cultural image. They work hard to maintain its history, to keep it alive and a part of the ever-changing city. A place’s history is important, especially to those who live there.
Protecting The Written Word
Aurora Pedro Pinto and her family took on one hell of a challenge when they took on Livraria Lello. They held in their hands a cultural cornerstone, an historic site, a working store, and a building that is recognized across the globe. And they faced it head-on.
Not only did they modernize and expand the business, but they’ve also focused on the written word. Aurora has made sure that the bookstore is seen as exactly that. She’s put processes in place and hired the right people to ensure that the Livraria Lello is still a place to come and find words, stories, and adventures between the dust covers. She truly is a protector of the written word.
If her story intrigues you, and you’d like to hear more about people like Aurora, you’re in luck. Her story is featured in Protectors of the Written Word alongside 24 others who have devoted their lives to sharing the joy of reading.
The book brings together inspiring journeys from around the world, written as a heartfelt love letter to everyone who believes in the power of books. It is a book full to the brim with stories like these, tales of people pushing against all the odds to protect and spread a love of reading, literacy, and learning. You can order your copy here.
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Millie Ramm
Millie has been writing since she was a child, and has spent more time with her nose in books than anywhere else. She has been ghostwriting novels and editing for the past few years, and when not working she is curled up with her cats, looking for her next read.
