Azulejo is a form of Spanish and Portuguese painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework. Azulejos are found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, restaurants, bars and even railways or subway stations. They were not only used as an ornamental art form, but also had a specific functional capacity like temperature control in homes. There is also a tradition of their production in former Spanish and Portuguese colonies in North America, South America, Goa, Africa , and the Philippines. Azulejos found particular success also in Liguria , due to the close relationships between both Christian and Islamic territories of the Iberian peninsula and the Republic of Genoa. Being imported at first , they started to be produced in situ during the next centuries. Ligurian-made tiles inspired by azulejos are known as laggioin in Ligurian and, from this language, laggioni in Italian . Azulejos still constitute a major aspect of Portuguese architecture as they are applied on walls, floors and even ceilings. Many azulejos chronicle major historical and cultural aspects of Portuguese history.
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