The parish of Benfica is today a vast urban and population center that lives in harmony with the old and the modern, and with the rural and the urban. It includes about two thirds of the Monsanto Forest Park, also known as the “Lungs of Lisbon.” The parish is divided into its main neighborhoods: Boavista, Charquinho, Pedralvas, Calhariz Velho, Calhariz Novo and Santa Cruz. It is precisely in the Santa Cruz neighborhood that the headquarters of one of the city’s oldest clubs is located, Clube Futebol Benfica (“FóFó”), founded in 1895, with several national titles in roller hockey and field hockey.
Most of Benfica’s monuments are remnants of the former estates, notably: Benfica Fountain, Church of Our Lady of Amparo, Calhariz Church, Silva Porto Park, Benfica Gates, Quinta do Peres, Quinta da Granja, section of the Águas Livres Aqueduct, Vila Ana.
A parish with a high concentration of services, schools from primary to higher education, traditional commerce, shopping centers, public transport and easy access to all parts of the city; worth mentioning are Silva Porto Park, Benfica Market, Baldaya Palace, Colombo Shopping Centre, Quinta da Granja and the Higher School of Education.